Kim Jong Un test-fires 'new sniper rifle' on special forces visit

Kim Jong Un has been pictured firing a "new sniper rifle" as he watched special forces training at a military base.

The North Korean leader, 41, test-fired the weapon, which will be supplied to such units and was developed using the country's technology, according to state media.

It said he learned about the rifle's results and expressed satisfaction over its performance and power.

Mr Kim was also seen pointing at a hole right in the centre of a target.

It was unclear whether it was from a bullet that he had fired.

At the military base, the leader watched on from an observation post as heavily-camouflaged troops posed with their guns, and ran across fields to fight inside a building.

The demonstration of soldiers and guns and martial arts, with troops smashing bricks, came after the US and South Korea carried out joint military exercises, which North Korea has complained about.

Last month, Mr Kim's sister threatened the Trump administration with retaliatory action for stepping up "provocations" with the deployment of a US aircraft carrier to South Korea.

The warning from Kim Yo Jong, a powerful official in her brother's regime, implies North Korea will likely ramp up weapons testing activities and maintain its confrontational posture against the US.

Mr Kim said boosting the strength of special forces was a key part of his country's military strategy, as he outlined a set of major tasks aimed at increasing the army's capabilities.

"Strengthening of the special operation forces constitutes a major component of the army-building strategy at present," KCNA quoted Mr Kim as saying. The state news agency did not give any details of the major tasks.

North Korean special operations units are among the thousands of troops that Pyongyang has sent to Russia to fight in the Ukraine war, according to South Korea.

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Analysts say North Korea could benefit from providing weapons and troops by getting battlefield experience. But the military has suffered heavy losses, Kyiv claims.

Moscow and Pyongyang initially rejected reports of the deployment.

But in October 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were in Russia, and a North Korean official said any such move would be lawful.