North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that his country will outline its future nuclear weapons plans at the next congress of the ruling Workers’ Party. State media outlet KCNA reported the remarks on Wednesday.

The party meeting, which will take place in the coming weeks, will be the first such congress in five years. Kim said the gathering “will clarify the next-stage plans for further bolstering up the country’s nuclear war deterrent.”

He made the statement while overseeing a ballistic missile test on Tuesday.

Missile test highlights strategic message

KCNA said Kim attended the test alongside senior officials. North Korea fired a “large-caliber” multiple rocket launcher, which launched four missiles.

Kim admitted that developing the system had “not been plain sailing.” However, he stressed that the latest test was “of great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent.”

According to Kim, the rockets “hit a target” in waters 358.5 kilometers (222.7 miles) away.

Missiles land near Japan, spark condemnation

Japanese media reported that the missiles were fired toward the Sea of Japan. The Jiji Press news agency, citing Japan’s defence ministry, said two missiles landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Kim warned that the test would serve as a strong signal to North Korea’s rivals. “The result and significance of this test will be a source of excruciating mental agony and serious threat to the forces that attempt to provoke a military confrontation with us,” he said.

In response, Tokyo condemned Pyongyang, saying the missile launch violated UN Security Council resolutions. Japan said the test threatened both regional stability and its own security, according to Kyodo News Service.

Second missile test this month

Tuesday’s launch marked North Korea’s second missile test in January. Earlier this month, Pyongyang fired several missiles just hours before South Korea’s president travelled to China for a summit.

The test also came a day after Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s third-ranking official, visited Seoul. During the visit, Colby described South Korea as a “model ally.”

Rising tension on the Korean Peninsula

The United States and South Korea remain treaty allies, a relationship shaped by the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Washington currently stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter threats from the nuclear-armed North.

Pyongyang often criticises joint US–South Korea military drills, calling them rehearsals for an invasion.

Last month, Kim sharply criticised Seoul’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines with US support. He called the move a “threat” that “must be countered.”

Stalled talks with the United States

During his first term, US President Donald Trump met Kim three times in an effort to reach a denuclearisation deal. However, talks collapsed after the Hanoi summit, where both sides failed to agree on what North Korea would receive in return for giving up its nuclear weapons.

Since then, negotiations have remained frozen. Trump later said he hoped to meet Kim ahead of a regional summit in South Korea in October 2025, but North Korea did not respond.