Why did North Korea open the National Defense Revolution Museum?

Kim Jong-un said the museum was a revolutionary treasure and a precious monument that could be built only by the Workers’ Party of Korea and a powerful state capable of defending itself. He also described strengthening the defense industry as the party’s due obligation.

When did Kim Jong-un visit North Korea’s new defense museum?

Kim Jong-un attended the museum’s opening ceremony on Sunday, held in connection with the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on Oct. 10. He toured the museum with senior party and national defense officials, his wife and his daughter, Ju-ae.

N. Korea opens new defense museum featuring ICBMs, other advanced weaponry

Q: What weapons are displayed at North Korea’s National Defense Revolution Museum?

The museum displays personal combat gear, drones, the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile under development, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile and 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers.

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Summary

North Korea opened the National Defense Revolution Museum in Pyongyang on Sunday, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance. The museum displays a broad range of weapons, including the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile under development, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile and 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers. Kim called the museum a revolutionary treasure and said the Workers’ Party of Korea has a duty to build the country’s defense industry into the world’s most powerful.

Key Facts

The opening ceremony was held on the occasion of the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which falls on Oct. 10.
Kim Jong-un inspected the museum with Workers’ Party central committee secretaries and commanding officers from the national defense ministry.
Kim’s wife and daughter, Ju-ae, attended the event.
The displays ranged from personal combat gear and drones to advanced missiles and super-large multiple rocket launchers.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 13, 2026 10:11 am KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center right, alongside his wife and daughter, inspect a newly built defense museum in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap

North Korea has opened a new defense museum featuring a wide range of weaponry, including its new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media reported Tuesday.

An opening ceremony of the National Defense Revolution Museum took place Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, on the occasion of the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), which falls on Oct. 10.

Kim inspected the museum with the party's central leadership, including the secretaries of the WPK central committee and commanding officers of the North's national defense ministry, among others. His wife and daughter, Ju-ae, were also present for the event.

Kim touted the new defense museum as a "revolutionary treasure" that can only be possessed by the WPK and a "precious monument" that he said can only be built by the "powerful state and people with their absolute strength powerful enough to defend themselves."

The North Korean leader emphasized that it was a "due obligation" of the WPK to build the defense industry into the most powerful one in the world, adding the country's "juche-based weaponry" will be developed and completed in a strenuous manner alongside the scale and contents of the museum, the report said.

Juche, which signifies self-reliance, is the central ideology of the North Korean regime.

Photos disclosed by the North's state media showed a number of weaponry, ranging from personal combat gear to drones and missiles, displayed at the museum. They included the Hwasong-20 ICBM under development, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile and 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers, among others.

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