North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an increase in missile production capacity in the country to strengthen military deterrence and “meet the future needs of the Korean People’s Army’s missile and artillery forces,” North Korean state agency KCNA reported on Friday (December 26, 2025).
Kim “underscored the need to prepare the 2026 production plan in a development-oriented manner to meet future needs in the deployment of the state’s missile and artillery forces,” the agency said during a visit to major ammunition industry companies.
The president announced that the next congress of the Workers’ Party of North Korea (WPK), which South Korean intelligence expects in February, will decide on the construction of new ammunition factories.
“In particular, the missile and projectile production sector is of utmost importance in strengthening deterrence capacity,” he stressed.
The news comes after Kim visited a factory this week where he inspected progress in building a new nuclear guided-missile submarine and supervised a test of anti-aircraft missiles that can hit targets at an altitude of 200 kilometers, according to KCNA.
However, in recent months he has softened his rhetoric towards Washington slightly as US President Donald Trump is poised to hold a summit with Kim next year.
gs (efe, afp)
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