The West tried to make North Korea a pariah – but it’s never been stronger

Kim Jong-un sits captivated.

Leaning forward with binoculars raised, the North Korean dictator watches tanks manoeuvring over sandy terrain and troops rappelling down from helicopters.

Occasionally, he turns to one of the uniformed officers behind him to point something out or ask a question.

The scene, captured on video and shared by North Korea’s state media last month, offered a rare glimpse into the secretive regime’s expanding military capabilities.

The isolated country, known for its intensely authoritarian regime, boasts the world’s fourth-largest military, with nearly 1.3 million troops. It also has 50 nuclear warheads , with plans to build 150 more by 2027.

A recent assessment from the US department of defence found North Korea had reached its “strongest strategic position”