Kim Jong Un Touts North Korea’s Weapons

SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sought to showcase his country’s defense industries and its nuclear-weapons arsenal, as U.S. and South Korean officials worry Pyongyang may seek to expand its illegal weapons trade.

Kim toured North Korea’s weapons factories for three days through Saturday, overseeing production of artillery systems and launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, Pyongyang’s state media reported Sunday. Last month, North Korea offered another prominent display of its arsenal during a military parade, including its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles and new spy drones.

Kim’s visits to weapons factories are rarely publicized. During the latest visits, Kim ordered factories making artillery and missile engines to boost capacity. He inspected multiple-launch rocket systems and engines for drones that are necessary for North Korea’s “war preparation,” state media said. Kim ordered factory workers to “unleash their creative wisdom and enthusiasm.”

State-media photos showed Kim testing new sniper rifles and walking past launcher trucks designed for ICBMs that have the ability to reach the U.S. mainland. Kim emphasized the need to modernize the sniper rifles and other weapons.

On Monday, Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for South Korea’s unification ministry, said Kim’s visits to the arms factories could signal an intent to export weapons. “If North Korea is hinting at weapons exports, it is professing it will violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, which is deplorable,” Koo said during a briefing.

U.S. officials have said Russia is looking to buy more ammunition from North Korea to replenish its stockpiles amid the war in Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the North Korean capital last month, reaffirming Moscow’s military partnership with Pyongyang. “We’re seeing Russia desperately looking for support, for weapons wherever it can find them,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Australia in late July.

Senior officials from Russia and China attended the July military parade in Pyongyang marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War. The three countries have been tightening their bonds in the face of a growing U.S. military presence in the region. North Korea has been a rare supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though it has denied that it has been providing arms to Moscow.

During Kim’s recent visits to the arms factories, he emphasized the modernization of his weapons systems and urged workers to improve the quality of artillery shells. State media didn’t specify the names or locations of the factories.

While Kim’s mentions of war preparations are in response to the U.S.’s and South Korea’s increasing military cooperation, the rare publicizing of his weapons-factory visits is aimed at Moscow, said Hong Min, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank in Seoul. State-media reports emphasized improvement in the quality of North Korea’s weapons systems and showcased conventional weapons as well as missiles that few countries are willing to supply to Russia, Hong added.

“This is a very intentional sales pitch,” Hong said.

When Kim hosted Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, in July, they visited a weapons exhibition featuring Pyongyang’s missiles and its newest drones that resemble U.S. aircraft.

As Washington has increased military cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo to counter Pyongyang’s growing nuclear and missile threat, North Korea has found an opportunity to deepen its alignment with China and Russia for a much-needed economic lifeline and a shield against additional sanctions at the U.N. Security Council.

Kim’s weapons-factory visits are possibly aimed at demonstrating Pyongyang’s military strength in light of continuing joint drills involving the U.S. and South Korea, Koo, the unification ministry spokesman, said Monday. Washington and Seoul plan to conduct their next round of military exercises later this month. North Korea has protested Washington’s expanded joint military exercises with Seoul and Tokyo, and the U.S. deployment of more strategic assets to the region.

Write to Dasl Yoon at [email protected]