North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made another inspection tour of major munitions factories and ordered a drastic increase in production of missiles and other weapons, state media said Monday, days before South Korea and the U.S. begin annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.

Mr. Kim’s push to produce more weapons also comes as U.S. officials believe Russia’s Defence Minister recently talked with North Korea about selling more weapons to Russia for its war with

The Korean Central News Agency said Mr. Kim visited factories producing tactical missiles, mobile launch platforms, armoured vehicles and artillery shells on Friday and Saturday.

orean leader Kim Jong Un made another inspection tour of major munitions factories and ordered a drastic increase in production of missiles and other weapons, state media said Monday, days before South Korea and the U.S. begin annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.

During a stop at the missile factory, Mr. Kim set a goal to “drastically boost” production capacity so the facility can mass produce missiles to meet the needs of frontline military units, KCNA said.