A sanctioned North Korean official who has played a leading role in advancing Pyongyang’s weapons programs is attending a Russian defense exhibition this week, a move that one expert said may be part of a push to improve missile capabilities to suit both countries’ needs.

Kim Jong Sik, the first vice director of the North Korean ruling party’s Munitions Industry Department, is leading the DPRK delegation at the International Military-Technical Forum (Army-2024) that kicked off in Moscow on Monday, Russian media broadcasts showed.