North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum showcasing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States, as US President Donald Trump considers a possible meeting with him during an upcoming Asia trip.
State media KCNA reported on Tuesday that Kim attended the opening of the Defence Revolution Museum on Sunday, accompanied by his daughter, known as Ju Ae, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
Photographs released by KCNA showed the museum displaying weapons developed under Kim’s leadership, ranging from drones to the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile.
A display in front of the missile launcher appeared to depict a multiple-warhead design alongside a world map illustrating its potential range, extending beyond the US mainland to regions including the Middle East, Australia and South America.
Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defence and Security Forum, said the exhibition appeared designed to showcase the achievements of North Korea’s defence science programme.
He added that the display gave the impression of propaganda intended to strengthen Pyongyang’s strategic position ahead of a potential summit between Kim and Trump.
The visit came a day after Trump said he might meet Kim during his planned trip to Asia. Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in mid-November.
Analysts said the museum also reflected Kim’s broader effort to turn the country’s weapons displays into lasting symbols of its military achievements.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said making the exhibitions permanent would allow Kim to portray North Korea’s nuclear and missile development as an enduring legacy of his leadership.
Separately, North Korea said it test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on Monday to verify a technical upgrade to an unspecified key component.
KCNA described the upgrade as an important step towards improving the performance of the country’s offensive weapons systems but provided no further details.
South Korea’s military said on Monday that North Korea had launched multiple ballistic missiles towards waters off its east coast. The launches marked Pyongyang’s fourth missile test in a month, following Seoul’s recent test of a hypersonic missile.
