Kim Jong Un hails the nuclear-capable weapons as ‘wonderful’ and ‘attractive’ as North Korea gears up for a once-in-five-year congress.Listen to this articleListen to this article | 4 minsinfoNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled dozens of nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of a key congress of the governing Workers’ Party, according to state media.Kim hailed the 600mm-calibre rocket launchers as “wonderful” and “attractive” during the ceremony on Wednesday, adding that new military and construction goals will be set during the upcoming congress.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listFifty such launchers were presented by North Korean munitions workers, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.“When this weapon is used, actually, no force would be able to expect God’s protection,” Kim said, according to the KCNA“It is really a wonderful and attractive weapon,” Kim said, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.He described the launchers as the “world’s most advantageous weapon for concentrated super-powerful attack”, according Yonhap.Photos released by state media showed dozens of launch vehicles parked in neat rows on the plaza of Pyongyang’s House of Culture, which will host the congress.The weapon was “appropriate for a special attack, that is, for accomplishing a strategic mission”, Kim said, using a common euphemism for nuclear weapons.He said the weapons incorporate “AI technology and compound guidance systems” and would deter unnamed enemies. Kim Jong Un inspects a multiple rocket launcher during a presentation ceremony of the launchers to the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 18, 2026 [KCNA via Reuters]Kim has been touting the progress of various projects in advance of this month’s 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party, which is widely viewed as North Korea’s most important political event. Advertisement Kim said on Wednesday that the 9th Congress “will declare the next phase of the self-reliant defence initiative” and accelerate the “project of constantly renewing our military capabilities” in order to “subdue any threats and challenges from outside forces”.The political gathering is expected to lay out North Korea’s foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years …
