North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited two major missile factories in the east coast city of Hamhung in recent days where he called for increasing missile production and building more arms plants, according to state media on Friday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim was satisfied with short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) and artillery rocket production in 2025, and that he “ratified” draft documents for modernizing weapons factories to be reviewed at the Ninth Party Congress scheduled for sometime in the coming months.

He also stated “it is necessary to continuously raise the level of modernization of