North Korea is readying a multiple rocket launcher system targeting South Korean population centers after completing a third test Friday under the watchful eye of leader Kim Jong Un, state media said.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported the system, which the country already tested twice this year, will replace older weapons when deployed in coming months.

The news agency said the latest test confirmed the “advantage and destructive power” of the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher and its guided shells. 

North Korea has been ramping up weapons testing and its rhetoric.

In addition to green-lighting test launches of 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers in April, Kim authorized the firing of a number of short-range ballistic missiles.

In March, Kim drove a new tank model during drills, state media reported, as he called for greater war preparation efforts.

Meanwhile, the hermit kingdom’s relations with South Korea and the US remain hostile.

Kim last month said it was time to be prepared for war as the US, Japan and South Korea conducted joint military drills.

In December, North Korea reportedly shot a ballistic missile into the sea a day after President Biden issued a stern warning about the nation’s use of nuclear weapons against the US.

With Post wires