North Korea’s Kim signals continued missile development in next 5 years

North Korea’s Kim signals continued missile development in next 5 years

Kim Jong Un says the ballistic and shell production sector is crucial for bolstering the country’s war deterrent.

Kim Jung On
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (centre) inspects the military hardware exhibition at ‘Defense Development-2025’ in Pyongyang. (EPA Images pic)
SEOUL:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signalled the country will continue to develop missiles in the next five years, as he visited major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA said on Friday.

Kim said “the country’s missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent,” according to KCNA.

Kim ratified draft documents for the modernisation of major munitions enterprises to be submitted to a key party congress expected to be held in early 2026, KCNA said, which will set a development plan for North Korea for the next five years.

The KCNA report follows Thursday’s reveal of Kim overseeing the construction of an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered submarine with his daughter, a potential heir, and the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.

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