PYONGYANG — North Korea’s munitions industry handed over 50 600mm-caliber multiple rocket launchers to the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party on Wednesday. Kim Jong Un attended the ceremony in Pyongyang, state media reported Thursday.

“This is a focused strike weapon, the most powerful in the world,” Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency. He described the systems as comparable to high-precision ballistic missiles in accuracy and destructive power.

Photographs from KCNA showed Kim, dressed in a black leather jacket, smiling from the driver’s seat of one launcher. Supporters waved North Korean flags in the background during the event.

Delegates began arriving in the capital this week for the congress, the first in five years. State media confirmed preparations were complete. Officials had earlier announced the gathering for late February.

The meeting draws global attention for signals on Kim’s priorities. Nuclear negotiations with the United States have stalled. Last month, Kim pledged to detail plans for strengthening the country’s nuclear deterrent at the congress.

Expectations include a new five-year economic plan and possible leadership shifts. The 2021 congress saw Kim admit failure to meet prior goals. He called then for a “big leap forward.”

North Korea’s position has shifted since. Kim has aligned closely with Russia, backing President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. In September, he appeared alongside Putin and China’s Xi Jinping at a Beijing military parade, boosting his international profile.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently expressed openness to new talks with Kim. Pyongyang insists Washington abandon denuclearization demands as a precondition.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung, in office since June, has pursued better ties. On Wednesday, Seoul apologized for drone flights by South Korean civilians over the border.

Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s sister and a senior official, responded Thursday. She welcomed the apology in unusually positive terms, KCNA reported. North Korea would maintain heightened vigilance along the southern border, she added.

No major breakthroughs have emerged in inter-Korean relations. The rocket showcase highlights Pyongyang’s focus on military capabilities amid diplomatic maneuvering.