North Korea Opens Defense Revolution Museum... Unification Ministry: "Showcasing Legitimacy of Defense Policy, Achievements"

As North Korea opened the Defense Revolutionary Museum to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Ministry of Unification said it believes the move was intended to highlight the legitimacy of the country's self-defensive defense policy and showcase to domestic and international audiences the achievements made in the defense sector under the Party's leadership.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported on the 13th, "The Defense Revolutionary Museum of the Second Economic Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has opened to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Party." Yonhap News Agency

A Ministry of Unification official met with reporters at the Government Complex Seoul on the 13th and said, "Cases of holding defense equipment exhibitions to mark the Party's founding anniversary occurred in 2021 and 2025. This time, North Korea went further by opening the Defense Revolutionary Museum on the occasion of the anniversary and displaying various strategic weapons." The official offered this assessment.

Earlier, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's Workers' Party, reported that the opening ceremony for the Defense Revolutionary Museum of the Second Economic Commission was held on the 11th. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut the ribbon and toured the museum with attendees. His wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Ju Ae, also accompanied him. The ceremony was attended by members of the Party's central leadership, including secretaries of the Party Central Committee, officials from the defense industry, commanders of the Ministry of National Defense, and service commanders. Attendees watched a video about military equipment recently deployed to the armed forces.

Kim said, "Building the world's strongest defense industry is an rightful vocation and a distinctive way of working," adding that the weapons "will be developed and perfected with even greater momentum, while the museum's scale and content will continue to expand and grow richer day by day."

Kim Jong Sik, a member of the Party Central Military Commission and first vice department director of the Party Central Committee, delivered the commemorative speech at the opening. He said the museum was a microcosm showcasing the strength, stature, and capabilities of the country's defense capabilities.

Yang Moo-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said the move reflected "an intention to make annual military equipment exhibitions a regular practice." He analyzed that "nuclear forces are at the heart of the exhibition, because Kim Jong Sik, the vice department director, is responsible for producing and mass-producing them." Regarding Ju Ae's attendance, he interpreted it as "an effort to show that the country's defense capabilities, including its nuclear forces, are a guarantee of protection for future generations and the Paektu bloodline."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.