Demonstrating Shooting Ability, Kim Jong-un Orders Missile Factory to Increase North Korean Weapons Capacity

Kim Jong-un visited North Korea's weapons factory. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - While squinting with the aid of an aiming telescope, Kim Jong-un opened fire on the target, demonstrating his ability to shoot with both an assault rifle and a sniper rifle, when he visited a North Korean weapons factory.

Leader Kim ordered factories making missiles, artillery and other weapons to increase capacity, as a key part of boosting the country's defense capabilities, state media said Sunday.

The inspections, which Chairman Kim carried out from Thursday to Saturday, covered the production of engines for strategic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as shells for super-large-caliber rocket launchers and carrier launchers, state news agency KCNA said.

His unusual visit to several weapons production facilities over the past few days comes as Pyongyang pushes to develop a range of strategic and conventional weapons and holds exhibitions of prominent weapons.

Usually, the launchers Leader Kim inspects are used to fire ballistic missiles.

North Korea is known to have tested rocket launchers with larger caliber shells, advanced cruise missiles, and last month its newest ballistic missiles, including a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.

Leader Kim highlighted the increased precision processing and modern automation in the production of large-caliber rocket launcher shells, KCNA said.

He called for the mass production of "various types of state-of-the-art strategic weapons machines... and thereby make a great contribution to bringing about the revolution in developing new strategic weapons in our style," the agency said.

Separately, Cheong Seong-chang, North Korea political strategist at the Sejong Institute near Seoul, said Kim was most likely focused on weapons modernization and technical innovations that would help arms exports to Russia.

Earlier, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on July 27, Pyongyang held a major military parade featuring its newest nuclear-capable missiles as well as attack and spy drones, in the presence of a Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation led by Chinese officials Politburo Li Hongzhong.