Last October, in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Defence Development Exhibition, named Self-Defence 2021, opened in the presence of Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs.

What did the exhibition that attracted the attention of the world’s military experts and media organs show?

Eye-Opening Development

The military hardware on display struck the visitors with wonder. What was most wonderful was their advanced and modernized level.

All the weapons such as various small arms and soldier’s personal gear, tanks of a new generation, armor-piercing weapons, self-propelled gun howitzers, super-large multiple launch system, various electronic weapons, drones, means of reconnaissance, submarine- and land-launched ballistic missiles of the Pukguksong series, medium-ranged and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) of the Hwasongpho series and anti-aircraft missile systems were of world level.

Especially, the new-type gigantic missile carried on an 11-axle transporter-erector-launcher vehicle displayed during the military parade, held in October last year to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, fully demonstrated the ultra-modernity and striking capability of the country’s strategic forces.

In other words, it showed that the military hardware equipped by the Korean People’s Army are the source of the irreversible strategic power and war deterrent, which could cope with any opponent and war.

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The period and speed of their upgrading were also amazing.

The displayed military hardware were all developed and produced over the past five years, demonstrating their rapid upgrading period and speed.

As the world already observed,    the    DPRK    successfully test-fired ground-to-ground IRBM Hwasong-10 at the first launch, and only one year later, successfully test-fired ground-to-ground IRBM Hwasong-12, whose tactical and technical specifications and technical features had been remarkably improved, two months later, a new-type of ICBM Hwasong-14 was successfully test-fired, followed by ICBM Hwasong-14, test-fired by simulating its maximum firing range, over 20 days later. In November 2017 a new-type of ICBM Hwasong-15, whose tactical and technical specifications and features were far superior to Hwasong-14 as it can be loaded with super-sized nuclear warheads, was successfully test-fired. What was more surprising was the fact that all the military hardware was developed and its serial production was achieved by the country’s own efforts and technology.

All the military hardware displayed in the exhibition hall was a brilliant fruition born of the line of self-reliance in national defence which the country has consistently maintained, of the solid foundations of the munitions industry laid for more than 70 years after its founding and of the efforts made by the large contingent of promising scientists in the defence science sector, who carried out unfailingly the intentions of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Prospects of the Defence Industry

 The exhibition also gave a hint as to the prospects of the development of the defence industry of the DPRK.

   The prospects were clearly expressed in the core plans and were qualified as important strategic tasks of the five-year plan period, laid out at the Eighth Congress of the WPK in January this year.

   At the Congress, the WPK put forward tasks in order to improve the  military equipment so that it would become intelligent, precise, unmanned, high-performed, and light as a core target for the munitions industry, and would help  developing a nuclear technology of a higher level and improving nuclear weapons for various tactical purposes, promoting continuously the production of super-sized nuclear warheads, attaining an advanced capability for launching a pre-emptive and retaliatory nuclear strike by further raising the level of precision to the point that a strategic target within a range of 15 000 kilometers can be hit and destroyed with pinpoint accuracy, developing nuclear submarine and underwater-launch nuclear strategic weapons, developing and introducing hypersonic gliding flight warheads, securing a reconnaissance and information-gathering capability based on the operation of a military reconnaissance satellite, and developing reconnaissance drones and other means of reconnaissance capable of precisely reconnoitering over distances of up to 500 kilometers, and rapidly developing the Korean People’s Army so that the army of a conventional type would turn into an elite hi-tech force.

Accordingly, the Academy of Defence Science conducted a series of test-fire missiles with upgraded combat performances, like test-fire of a new-type tactical guided missile in March 2021, test-fire of a newly-developed long-range cruise missile in September, inspection firing drill of a railway mobile missile regiment, test-fire of a newly-developed hypersonic missile of Hwasong-8 type, and test-fire of a newly-developed anti-aircraft missile.

During a speech delivered at the exhibition, Kim Jong Un declared: Our self-defence will continue to enhance the Korean army; we will achieve even more brilliant successes in carrying out our just and patriotic cause. In the course of doing this, we will build up a more perfect, more complete, and more powerful war deterrent; in other words, we will create a strategic power that will guarantee the security and the future of our country and people.