Kim visits a new military museum
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a newly opened Defence Revolution Museum. State media KCNA reported that the museum displays weapons developed under his leadership.
The exhibition included drones and the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile can reportedly reach the United States.
Kim attended the museum’s opening on Sunday with his daughter, Ju Ae, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
KCNA released photographs showing the missile and its launcher. A display appeared to depict a multiple-warhead design. It also showed a world map with potential ranges extending beyond the US mainland.
Analysts assess the purpose of the exhibition
Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defence and Security Forum, said the exhibition appeared intended to highlight North Korea’s defence technology achievements.
He also suggested that the display could serve as propaganda. In his view, North Korea could use it to gain a strategic advantage ahead of a possible summit with the United States.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the permanent museum institutionalised North Korea’s military achievements. He added that it presented the country’s nuclear and missile programme as an enduring legacy.
Trump signals a possible meeting
The report followed US President Donald Trump’s statement that he might meet Kim during a planned trip to Asia. Trump was expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in mid-November.
Separately, North Korea said it had test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on Monday. The test aimed to verify a technical upgrade to an unspecified component.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s military reported multiple North Korean ballistic missile launches toward waters off the country’s east coast.
The latest launches marked Pyongyang’s fourth missile launch in a month. They followed South Korea’s recent test of a hypersonic missile.
