North Korea’s Kim says upcoming party congress will unveil plans to bolster nuclear deterrent

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will unveil plans to further bolster its nuclear program at the upcoming ruling party congress, as he observed the North’s latest weapons launch, state media reported Wednesday.

The Korean Central News Agency said North Korea performed a live-fire drill of an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system in the presence of Kim on Tuesday, an apparent reference to what South Korea and Japan earlier described as ballistic missile launches from North Korea.

State media photos show Kim walking near a huge launch truck with his teenage daughter in her latest public appearance with her father. South Korea’s spy service said in early 2024 it considered the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, as her father’s likely heir.

KCNA quoted Kim Jong Un saying the test launch was meant to enhance the effectiveness of the country’s “strategic deterrent,” a term used to describe its nuclear weapons capability. KCNA said the launcher system’s mobility and strike accuracy have been improved.

Experts say North Korea’s large-sized rocket launchers blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. North Korea has said some of these systems are capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

Kim said that boosting the country’s military capability is the invariable line of the ruling Workers’ Party. He said the upcoming party congress, the first of its kind in five years, will be a venue to declare “next-stage plans for further bolstering up the country’s nuclear war deterrent,” KCNA said.

The congress, expected to start in February, is one of North Korea’s biggest propaganda spectacles and is used to establish new political and economic priorities.

Since December, North Korea has already test-fired what it called hypersonic missiles, long-range, strategic cruise missiles and new anti-air missiles. North Korea’s recent testing activities were likely meant to demonstrate or review its weapons development achievements ahead of the congress.

KCNA didn’t say what the next-stage nuclear development plan will be like. Many foreign analysts say North Korea needs to master an ability to place multiple warheads on a single missile to defeat its rivals’ missile defenses. There are also questions on whether North Korea has acquired the technology to shield warheads from the high-temperature, high-stress environment of atmospheric reentry for long-range missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.

North Korea has refused to engage in talks with the U.S. and South Korea since Kim’s nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim could return to talks if he’s assured of some economic and political rewards for limited denuclearization steps.