UPDATE 1-North Korea leader Kim inspects artillery that can hit South Korean capital

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the production of new ‌artillery with a range exceeding 60 km (37 miles) that would be deployed at the South Korean border and bolster its ability ‌to hit Seoul and other targets, KCNA state news agency ‌said on Friday. Kim said the extended range of the new 155-mm self-propelled howitzer "will provide a great change and advantage in the ⁠land operations of ​our army," ⁠KCNA reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the production of new ‌artillery with a range exceeding 60 km (37 miles) that would be deployed at the South Korean border and bolster its ability ‌to hit Seoul and other targets, KCNA state news agency ‌said on Friday.

Kim said the extended range of the new 155-mm self-propelled howitzer "will provide a great change and advantage in the ⁠land operations of ​our army," ⁠KCNA reported. For decades, the North has been developing strategic weapons, including ⁠long-range ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons and reach the ​U.S. mainland.

In recent years it has also expanded its ⁠conventional arsenal. North Korea's supply of missiles and artillery to Russia, in support ⁠of ​the war against Ukraine, has given it valuable battlefield data on its weapons, South Korean officials and experts ⁠have said.

Kim separately supervised the navigational manoeuvrability of one of its ⁠two modern ⁠navy destroyers being tested for deployment, KCNA said. Kim has ordered the construction of two additional ‌destroyers.