North Korea Photos Offer Glimpse of Kim Jong Un's Tank Factory
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is shown inspecting a "major" tank production facility in photos released by state media.
Kim said replacing the country's aging 20th-century armor is a top priority as the Korean People's Army upgrades its ground forces, the Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday.
Why It Matters
Kim has accelerated this modernization push in recent years, expanding North Korea's United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile programs while also developing more advanced tanks, kamikaze drones, and a navy destroyer.
He has cited "provocative" U.S. security cooperation with South Korea and Japan as justification for these efforts. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in decades, fueled by Kim's frequent missile launches, a constitutional amendment declaring the South to be a "hostile state," and the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to join Russia's war against Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China by email with a request for comment.
What To Know
During his visit, Kim praised advancements in North Korea's tank designs including improvements to firepower systems, maneuverability, and electronic warfare capabilities.
Stepping up large-scale production of tanks and self-propelled artillery in a short period is crucial to achieving what he described as a "second revolution" of the communist country's armed forces.
In addition to a tank and unassembled tank components, self-propelled howitzers can be seen in the background of one of the photos accompanying the KCNA report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a tank factory.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a tank factory.
Korean Central News Agency
Although no North Korean tanks have been reported being used by Russian forces, a video shared on Telegram by a Russian soldier in January appeared to show a North Korean self-propelled howitzer—specifically the "Koksan" M1989—deployed on the Ukrainian front lines. That followed an earlier assessment by Ukrainian military intelligence that some 50 Koksan units, along with 20 240-mm multiple launch rocket systems, had been shipped to Russia.
North Korea has also served as a major source of munitions for Russia, helping to offset severe shortages as Russian troops burned through ammunition in Ukraine.
Pyongyang has supplied a number of short-range missiles and between 4 and 6 million artillery shells since the fall of 2023, according to a joint study by Reuters and the Open Source Centre last month, based on satellite imagery of Russia-flagged container ships and other sources.
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North Korea is believed to have suffered around 4,700 casualties out of as many as 15,000 North Koreans deployed to the front, according to South Korean lawmakers who cited intelligence officials.
Yet, the survivors will bring back valuable experience in modern battle tactics. Washington and its allies have also voiced concerns Pyongyang could be receiving Russian technical assistance for its nuclear weapons program in exchange for its support.
What People Are Saying
A North Korean "military commentator" was quoted in an article published by KCNA Saturday: "The building of the strongest offensive and defensive power capable of overwhelmingly suppressing any form of military threat posed by the U.S. arms buildup directly aiming at the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] is the best option for deterring the danger of the outbreak of a nuclear war and ensuring the balance of strength on the Korean peninsula."
What's Next
U.S. President Donald Trump, who during his first term held two failed summits with Kim aimed at working toward North Korea's denuclearization, has said he is open to resuming contact with the North Korean leader.
Trump administration officials told Axios, on condition of anonymity, that they have been speaking with experts on how to approach another Trump-Kim meeting.
For now, however, that scenario has taken a backseat to Washington's so-far unsuccessful efforts to bring Russia to the negotiating table and end the Ukraine war, now on its fourth year.
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