North Korea’s Kim Jong Un pushes more missile production as ‘war deterrent’

North Korean person calls for accrued accumulation of missiles, shells and much factories to nutrient them.

North Korean person Kim Jong Un has ordered his officials to measurement up production of missiles and artillery shells and conception much factories to conscionable his military’s increasing request for the weapons, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported.

In a sojourn to munitions plants accompanied by apical officials, Kim ordered the factories to hole for a engaged twelvemonth ahead, KCNA said connected Friday.

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“The country’s rocket and ammunition accumulation assemblage is of paramount value successful bolstering warfare deterrent,” Kim said, according to KCNA.

“To further grow the wide accumulation capacity” and support gait with request from North Korea’s equipped forces, Kim besides ordered the gathering of caller munitions plants, KCNA said.

Kim’s telephone for much missiles followed aft helium was featured connected Thursday visiting a shipyard to oversee the operation of what North Korea reports volition beryllium an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered submarine susceptible of launching surface-to-air missiles.

Photos of Kim astatine the shipyard showed him inspecting a huge, burgundy-coloured vessel, coated with what appears to beryllium anticorrosion paint, nether operation wrong an assembly hallway with elder officials and his daughter.

It was the archetypal clip North Korean authorities media had released images of the submarine since March, erstwhile they mostly showed the little sections of the vessel.

North Korean person Kim Jong Un visits the operation tract of a purported nuclear-powered submarine [KCNA via Reuters]

Hong ‌Min, a elder probe chap astatine the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, wrote successful a study connected Thursday that the plan of the submarine’s hull indicates it has been equipped with a atomic reactor, and the vas is astir acceptable to sail.

During the inspection of the submarine, Kim warned that South Korea’s plans to physique nuclear-powered submarines would “worsen the instability” successful the region, describing the determination arsenic a menace to North Korea’s nationalist security.

At a acme with United States President Donald Trump successful November, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called connected Washington to enactment South Korea’s efforts to get nuclear-powered submarines. Trump aboriginal said the US was unfastened to sharing intimately held exertion to let South Korea to physique a nuclear-powered submarine.

Kim orders much rocket production

Kim was besides reported connected Thursday to person overseen the trial motorboat of new-type high-altitude long-range anti-air missiles implicit the Sea of Japan.

The North’s person was quoted arsenic saying that “new modernisation and accumulation plans” would beryllium unveiled astatine his ruling Korean Workers Party’s congress, which is expected successful aboriginal adjacent year.

Analysts accidental Kim’s caller absorption connected stepping up rocket investigating is aimed astatine improving precision-strike capabilities, with a presumption to pressuring some the United States and South Korea arsenic good arsenic investigating weapons systems earlier imaginable exports to Russia.

This representation taken connected December 24, 2025, shows North Korean person Kim Jong Un observing a test-fire of new-type anti-air missiles astatine an undisclosed determination successful North Korea [KCNA via KNS/AFP]

Already beardown relations betwixt Pyongyang and Moscow person further tightened since Russia launched its penetration of Ukraine astir 4 years ago. North Korea has sent troops, artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems to enactment Russian forces, analysts say, arsenic portion of a communal defence pact signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In speech for Pyongyang’s subject support, Russia has reportedly provided North Korea with fiscal assistance, subject exertion and supplies of nutrient and energy.

Washington has besides said determination is grounds that Moscow’s enactment includes precocious abstraction and outer technology.

Ahn Chan-il, a researcher primitively from North Korea, said Pyongyang was besides expected to “seek precocious subject technologies from Russia, including nuclear-powered submarine capabilities and combatant jets”.