Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday night, showed off the Hwasong-20, the country’s most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) yet, during a huge military display in Pyongyang to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party.
KCNA, a state-run news agency, called the Hwasong-20 “the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system” in North Korea’s arsenal. The parade in Kim Il Sung Square showed off a variety of nuclear-capable missiles and cutting-edge military technologies. This showed that Pyongyang is becoming more confident in its long-range deterrence capabilities.
The Wall Street Journal says that high-ranking officials from Russia, China, Vietnam, and Laos were there.
A New Type of Missiles
CNN said that the Hwasong-20’s debut is the first time that North Korea has shown off its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile to the public. KCNA said that the missile’s carbon fiber composite solid-fuel engine has been tested on the ground nine times, but Pyongyang has not yet done a flight test.
KCNA reported in its report, “The spectators broke into the most enthusiastic cheers when the column of Hwasong-20 ICBMs… entered the square, filling the track.”
The engine design should be able to power both the Hwasongpho-19 and the next-generation Hwasongpho-20 missiles. In Korean, the word “Pho” means “artillery.”
People think that solid-fuel rockets are a big step forward for North Korea’s weapons program. They are harder to catch or stop because they may be deployed faster, camouflaged better, and launched with little planning.
What it means for strategy
Kim Jong Un first talked about the Hwasong-20 in public before his trip to Beijing in September. This trip was seen as part of his larger diplomatic efforts, which are growing as military cooperation with Moscow and Beijing grows.
Experts say that the missile might be able to carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), which are nuclear warheads that can hit different targets.
“The Hwasong-20 is, for now, the highest point of North Korea’s goals for long-range nuclear delivery capabilities,” said Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, according to Reuters.
He went on to say, “The system is probably meant to deliver multiple warheads, which will put a strain on the U.S. missile defense systems that are already in place and make Kim’s deterrence stance against Washington stronger.”
With this recent announcement, North Korea shows that it is serious about increasing its nuclear attack capabilities and solidifying its status as a nuclear power in the world, even as tensions are rising with the US and its allies in the region.