Kim Jong-un, chairperson of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, inspected a munitions factory that produces handguns and other portable, lightweight weapons.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 12th, the previous day the chairperson conducted on-site guidance at a key munitions factory under the Second Economic Committee. The Second Economic Committee is the body that oversees planning and production of munitions.
His daughter Ju-ae also accompanied this inspection. The chairperson fired a handgun at an indoor shooting range set up inside the factory together with Ju-ae. Photos released by North Korea also showed the chairperson and Ju-ae, who matched dress codes with leather jackets, firing handguns.
Earlier, on the 27th of last month, Ju-ae attended a ceremony presenting a newly developed and produced sniper rifle by the Academy of National defense Science as gifts to senior guidance officials and military commanders, where she personally fired a sniper rifle.
The chairperson assessed the combat performance of the "new handgun" at the factory through handgun firing, among other things, and "repeatedly expressed satisfaction that an excellent handgun had been developed and produced," the news agency said.
The chairperson also issued an "important directive" regarding the addition of new production lines at the factory in line with the five-year plan to strengthen defense capabilities announced at the Ninth Party Congress. However, specific details of the directive were not disclosed.
The chairperson said, "The role of the factory in charge of producing portable, lightweight weapons, including handguns, is extremely important in strengthening the combat power of the military, public security forces, and civilian forces," adding, "We must expand and build up production capacity from a long-term perspective and raise and achieve the modernization of production processes and the level of production culture to meet the needs, demands, and standards set by the party."
In addition, the chairperson said that next month an expanded meeting of the Party Central Military Commission will be convened to discuss ▲ a modernization project plan to be carried out by munitions factories during the next five-year plan period ▲ deliberation on the modernization budget plans of three key munitions industry enterprises.