North Korea’s Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has ordered an expansion of the regime’s rocket development, despite increasing international pressure to put a hold on its weapons programmes.

Kim “instructed the Chemical Material Institute to produce more solid-fuel rocket engines and rocket warhead tips by further expanding engine production processes and the production capacity of rocket warhead tips and engine jets,’’ state news agency KCNA reported.

The order comes despite stricter UN sanctions on Pyongyang, and an intense war of words with Seoul and Washington about the two allies’ joint military drills which began this week and about North Korea’s missile tests.

Kim also learned about the manufacture of ballistic missiles during his visit to the institute, according to the KCNA report.

The launch of two ballistic missiles in July was followed by the imposition of stronger UN sanctions and warnings from President Donald Trump that Pyongyang would face “fire and fury’’ if it continued to make threats against the U.S.

(dpa/NAN)