Kim Jong Un announced plans to strengthen nuclear deterrence and conducted missile tests, aiming to improve the strategic capabilities of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un declared that the congress of the Workers' Party of Korea will clarify plans for strengthening the country's nuclear deterrence. Accompanied by high-ranking officials, he oversaw a test launch of a multiple rocket system, in which four rockets were fired that hit a target located over 358 km away. The rockets were launched towards the Sea of Japan, and two of them landed outside North Korea's exclusive economic zone. Kim emphasized the importance of this test for the effectiveness of strategic deterrence. The test took place after a visit by a Pentagon official to South Korea and is part of a broader campaign to intensify missile tests, aimed at improving attack capabilities and challenging the United States and South Korea. In the context of the upcoming congress, Kim ordered the expansion and modernization of missile production.