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Kim Visits Rocket Launcher Plant, Orders Mass Production of ‘Strategic’ Systems

The tour highlighted a push to scale up rocket artillery framed as a “strategic” attack tool ahead of a ruling party congress expected to set modernization priorities.

Overview

  • State media said Kim Jong-un inspected a munitions factory on Dec. 28 and directed larger output of new multiple rocket launchers.
  • KCNA quoted Kim calling the launchers a super-powerful system capable of precise, devastating strikes and designating them the military’s main strike means.
  • Photos released by KCNA showed rows of the large rocket systems on factory floors, though the site’s location was not disclosed.
  • Kim’s visit was reported a day after Pyongyang announced a test-fire of two strategic long-range cruise missiles to demonstrate combat readiness.
  • The inspection comes as North Korea prepares for an early-2026 party congress that outside reports say is expected to outline a conventional-nuclear integration strategy, with analysts warning improved precision could raise risks to cities like Seoul.