SEOUL (Reuters/AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signaled 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 modernization 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-ton nuclear-powered submarine with his daughter, a potential heir, and the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
The North Korean leader also learned about research into "new underwater secret weapons", KCNA said.
North Korea is expected to "seek advanced military technologies from Russia, including nuclear-powered submarine capabilities and fighter jets, as it looks to address its air force's relative weakness," analyst Ahn told AFP.
Kim was reported Thursday to have overseen the test launch of new-type high-altitude long-range anti-air missiles over the Sea of Japan.
And he said that "new modernisation and production plans" would be unveiled at his ruling Korean Workers Party's first congress in half a decade, expected in early 2026.