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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a new defense museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership. The exhibition included an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Images released by state news agency KCNA show Kim Jong Un at the Defense Development Exhibition with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and wife, Ri Sol Ju. The visit took place on Sunday, with details released on Tuesday.
The museum displays a range of weapons, from drones to the “Hwasong-20” intercontinental ballistic missile. Images show the missile with a design intended to carry multiple warheads, while a world map indicates a range extending beyond the continental United States.
Museum visit comes ahead of possible summit
Defense expert Shin Jong-woo said the exhibition appeared intended to highlight North Korea’s military development. In his view, the display could serve as a strategic message ahead of a possible North Korea-US summit.
A day before Kim Jong Un’s visit to the museum, US President Donald Trump said he could meet the North Korean leader during a planned trip to Asia. Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in mid-November.
North Korea continues missile tests
North Korea separately announced on Monday that it had conducted a tactical ballistic missile test. According to KCNA, the test was intended to assess a technical improvement to an unnamed component.
The agency said the development was an important step toward improving the performance of the country’s strike weapons systems, but gave no further details.
South Korea’s military said North Korea had launched several ballistic missiles toward the sea near its east coast. This was Pyongyang’s fourth missile launch in a month. The test followed South Korea’s test of a hypersonic missile.
The museum visit and latest missile test came amid continued tensions on the Korean Peninsula and discussion of the possibility of renewed contacts between Kim Jong Un and Trump.
