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North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun reported on Sept. 3 that leader Kim Jong-un had given on-site direction at the Pukjung Machine Complex and a major munitions plant. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave on-site instructions at the Pukjung Machine Complex and a major munitions factory, emphasizing the need for “strengthening the naval forces of the DPRK,” and “the orientation of establishing additional production capacity,” the Rodong Sinmun reported on Sunday.

This is the third reported visit to a munitions factory by Kim in the past month, following visits on Aug. 3-5 and 11-12. North Korea’s Saturday morning missile launch was described by the news outlet as a “firing drill for simulated tactical nuclear attack” meant to “warn the enemies of the actual nuclear war danger.”

The state-run outlet reported that Kim visited the Pukjung Machine Complex and “put forward the revolutionary policy on ushering in a new era of the shipbuilding industry to the complex,” saying that the company “is playing an important role that no others can replace in developing the shipbuilding industry of the country and strengthening the naval forces of the DPRK.”

The Pukjung Machine Complex in Pyongyang produces engines for ships.

Seven of Kim’s 10 public appearances in the past month have been military-related. He has toured important munitions factories, including a factory that produces large-caliber artillery shells (Aug. 3-5), attended the seventh enlarged meeting of the 8th Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea (Aug. 9), toured another munitions factory that makes tactical missiles (Aug. 11-12), inspected the second amphibious assault ship squadron of the East Sea Fleet (Aug. 21), visited the naval command center (Aug. 28).

This photo, released by North Korean state media, shows what Pyongyang called a “tactical nuclear attack” drill in the early hours of Sept. 2. (KCNA/Yonhap)

In particular, Kim’s focus on inspecting munitions factories came as the US and others were wary of the possibility of a UN-banned North Korea-Russia arms deal after he discussed “military cooperation” with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who visited Pyongyang on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice (July 27) and toured the “Weaponry Exhibition-2023” together.

It is also noteworthy that Kim Yo-jong, the vice director of the WPK Central Committee who has served as a window for North Korea’s important foreign and domestic policy announcements, accompanied Kim to the munitions factory on Aug. 3-5.

Meanwhile, the Rodong Sinmun also reported on Saturday that, following orders from the WPK Central Military Commission, a missile unit participating in drills fired “long-range strategic cruise missiles toward the West Sea of Korea from the mouth of the River Chongchon. The unit successfully carried out its nuclear strike mission by making sure that the missiles flied along the pattern ‘8’ flight track simulating the distance of 1,500 kilometers for 7,672 [and] 7,681 seconds respectively and their warheads detonated at a preset altitude of 150 meters above the target island.”

Earlier in the day, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected several cruise missiles fired by North Korea off its western coast around 4 am.

The newspaper added that the WPK Central Military Commission “stressed the need to take offensive actions” and to “make the US and the military gangsters of the ‘ROK’ more clearly understand the situation that has reached a serious threat through the overpowering exercise of the war deterrence.”

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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