North Korean leader Kim Jong Un examined a "newly inaugurated" missile production line on Sunday before a planned trip to Beijing to witness a massive military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. During Sunday's inspection, Kim learned about the "overall condition of the state missile production capacity," North Korean state media reported on Monday. Images published by KCNA appeared to show Kim at an undisclosed location inspecting several dozen missiles in various stages of production and talking with uniformed officers. Kim's inspection this Sunday comes as he prepares to travel to Beijing, where China's military parade on Wednesday will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II following Japan's formal surrender. North Korea has ramped up its weapons program in the last few years, rapidly modernizing its armed forces, developing new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It has also deployed troops to fight with Russia in the Ukraine war, gaining crucial battlefield experience. Kim has also shrugged off overtures from the new South Korean government and recently repeated his vow to build up the country's nuclear program and threatened to use it to destroy South Korea if attacked. Just a week ago, North Korea tested two new air defense missiles after accusing Seoul of fomenting tensions at the border – days before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was set to meet US President Donald Trump. According to the KCNA report Monday, North Korea had "successfully fulfilled" its five-year plan to expand its missile production capacity. "Various kinds of missiles were put into serial production," the agency reported, adding that Kim had ratified three new long-term plans "related to missile production capacity." Kim's trip abroad this week will put him in the company of two dozen foreign leaders at a closely watched event hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The parade offers the reclusive head of the world's most heavily sanctioned regime a rare opportunity to appear alongside other world leaders who are gravitating toward an alternative world order championed by Xi and Putin. The trip will be Kim's first trip to China since 2019. Kim, who has only embarked on 10 foreign trips since assuming power in 2011, last left his isolated country in 2023 to meet Putin at a remote spaceport in Russia's far east. North Korea and Russia have drawn closer together since Moscow invaded Ukraine, with Pyongyang sending both soldiers and equipment to aide Russia's fight. Experts warn that Putin may be providing military and technological assistance in exchange – potentially boosting North Korea's weapons and space programs. — CNN
