North Korea has announced that it will deploy a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher, a weapons system believed to target South Korea's capital area, to its military starting this year.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Saturday that regime leader Kim Jong-un oversaw test-firing of controllable shells for the "technically updated version" of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system the previous day.

The news agency said the updated launcher with high mobility and concentration of fire is equipped with an automatic fire combined control system and it will be deployed to units of the Korean People's Army from 2024 through 2026.

KCNA said eight shells fired from the launcher system hit "point" targets, claiming that the test has verified the system's superiority and destructive power.

It added that there will be a significant change in enhancing the North Korean military's artillery combat ability.