Manufacturer catalog

North Korean state arms industry

North Korean state arms industry describes North Korea's state-controlled munitions and missile-production network rather than a single corporate manufacturer. Open sources place major roles with the Workers' Party of Korea Munitions Industry Department, the Second Economic Committee or Commission, the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, specialized machine-industry bureaus, and subordinate factories that produce missiles, rocket artillery, ammunition, and small arms.

1 weapons

North Korea's arms-industrial base is part of the state's so-called second economy, a military economy separated from the ordinary cabinet-run economy. 38 North describes that structure as headed by the Second Economic Commission, reporting to the WPK Munitions Industry Department, and responsible for planning, production, distribution, and foreign sales of military products.

Sanctions and nonproliferation sources split responsibilities across overlapping state bodies. U.S. Treasury records describe the Munitions Industry Department as involved in ballistic-missile research, development, and production, while the Second Economic Committee oversees ballistic-missile production and directs KOMID activity. NTI separately identifies the Second Economic Committee's Fourth Machine Industry Bureau as the organization managing overall missile production.

The public record is strongest for missiles, rocket artillery, and documented small-arms or light-weapons patterns. It is weaker for individual factory attribution, because North Korean facilities are opaque, renamed, dispersed, and often described through sanctions aliases or intelligence-derived designations.

Munitions productionBallistic missile productionAmmunition manufacturingState-controlled defense industryWeapons export support

Notable Systems

North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile, 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round, Munitions

North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile

40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round

Small Arms Survey identifies the F-7 as a North Korean 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round with recognizable Korean markings, placing it within the state's light-weapons and ammunition production.

Sources: Small Arms Survey North Korean recognition guide
North Korean KN-23 / KN-24, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile family, Artillery

North Korean KN-23 / KN-24

Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile family

CSIS describes the KN-23 and KN-24 as North Korean solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles; Treasury and NTI sourcing place ballistic-missile development and production under the MID, Second Economic Committee, and related missile-production bureaus.

Sources: CSIS KN-23, CSIS North Korea missile overview, Treasury on North Korean ballistic missile entities, NTI North Korea missile facilities
M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family, 240 mm multiple launch rocket system family, Artillery

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family

240 mm multiple launch rocket system family

CSIS identifies the M1985 and M1991 as 240 mm multiple-launch rocket systems produced by North Korea, placing the rocket-artillery family within the wider state arms-industrial base.

Sources: CSIS M1985/M1991

Manufacturer History

  1. Munitions industry priority expands

    38 North traces North Korea's modern second-economy munitions base to Kim Il Sung's early-1960s push for munitions-industry development and the simultaneous pursuit of economic and defense development.

    Sources: 38 North on North Korean munitions factories

  2. MID is designated for ballistic-missile support

    Treasury records that the U.S. Department of State designated the Munitions Industry Department on August 30, 2010 for support to the DPRK's WMD programs, including ballistic-missile development.

    Sources: Treasury on DPRK WMD organization and subsidiaries

  3. U.S. agencies issue ballistic-missile procurement advisory

    The North Korea Ballistic Missile Procurement Advisory described the MID as involved in ballistic-missile research, development, and production, and described the Second Economic Committee as subordinate to MID and responsible for overseeing ballistic-missile production.

    Sources: OFAC North Korea ballistic missile procurement advisory

  4. 38 North details the second economy

    38 North describes North Korea's second economy as headed by the Second Economic Commission, reporting to the Munitions Industry Department and responsible for production, distribution, and foreign sales of military products.

    Sources: 38 North on North Korean munitions factories

Website links
NTI North Korea missile facilities38 North on North Korean munitions factoriesTreasury on DPRK WMD organization and subsidiariesTreasury on North Korean ballistic missile entitiesOFAC North Korea ballistic missile procurement advisoryCSIS North Korea missile overview

North Korea's arms-industrial structure is intentionally opaque and often described through overlapping state bodies, sanctions aliases, and factory nicknames rather than a single company. Public sources support the broad MID, SEC, SANS, missile-bureau, and munitions-factory structure, but often do not identify the exact plant behind a specific weapon. No rights-clear manufacturer-specific image was located during this task.

Manufacturer Sources

  • NTI North Korea missile facilitiesPublisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: Background reference for the state arms network, including the Second Economic Committee's responsibility for all weapons production and the Fourth Machine Industry Bureau's missile-production role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • 38 North on North Korean munitions factoriesPublisher: 38 North | Note: Background reference for the North Korean munitions network, including the second economy, the SEC's production and sales role, and the way factories are organized and renamed. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Treasury on DPRK WMD organization and subsidiariesPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Background source for the Munitions Industry Department designation and its role in supporting the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction programs, including ballistic-missile development. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Treasury on North Korean ballistic missile entitiesPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury | Note: Background source for the Munitions Industry Department and Second Economic Committee, including aliases, missile-development and missile-production roles, and location records for the entities. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • OFAC North Korea ballistic missile procurement advisoryPublisher: U.S. Department of the Treasury / U.S. Department of State / U.S. Department of Commerce | Note: Government advisory identifying MID, SANS, SEC, KOMID, and related procurement entities; supports the profile's description of overlapping state missile-production and procurement roles. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • CSIS North Korea missile overviewPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Reference source for North Korea's missile force development and short-range systems, including KN-23 and related solid-fuel missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • CSIS KN-23Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Reference source for the KN-23 as a North Korean road-mobile short-range ballistic missile and for selected specifications used in notable-system context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • CSIS M1985/M1991Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Reference source identifying the M1985 and M1991 as North Korean-produced 240 mm multiple-launch rocket systems, with deployment and specification context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Small Arms Survey North Korean recognition guidePublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Recognition guide for North Korean small arms, light weapons, ammunition, markings, and trafficking indicators; supports the F-7 RPG round notable-system context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile, 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round, Munitions2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, 2023 Israel-Hamas WarNorth Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG roundBuilt in: North KoreaThe North Korean F-7 is a 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round for RPG-7-pattern launchers. Small Arms Survey identifies it by its gray warhead, sustainer motor, and Korean markings, while conflict reporting has tied it to Boko Haram-linked materiel and to Hamas use in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, including reuse of its motor section in improvised anti-tank rockets.