Long-sought manufacturing gains are boosting North Korea arms buildup

BERLIN — When North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un visited what state media called an “automated missile factory” in late August, he pranced past endless rows of ballistic missiles, each capable of accurately delivering a nuclear warhead to Seoul with minutes’ notice.

The remarkable success of the hermit regime’s missile program is a direct consequence of Pyongyang’s concerted effort to make up for decades of shortcomings in defense manufacturing processes, according to experts and open-source information.

Visiting the unnamed missile facility days before heading to China to watch a big military parade in Beijing , North Korean state media said Kim Jong Un “was greatly satisfied to hear the report that the automated assembly-line production system was established.”

According to the Kor