NKorea testing of missiles capable of targeting US
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the high-thrust solid-fuel engine test and hailed it as a development aimed at increasing the country’s strategic military capacity, state media reported.
The test likely indicates that Kim intends to expand and modernize his missile arsenal that can reach the United States mainland.
Sunday’s report by the Korean Central News Agency came days after Kim delivered a speech to the North Korean Parliament vowing to irreversibly strengthen his country’s nuclear power status and accusing the United States of global “state terrorism and aggression” in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East.
According to KCNA, Kim watched the ground jet test of the newly upgraded engine using composite carbon fiber material. KCNA reported that the engine’s maximum reliability was 2,500 kilotons, down from about 1971 kilotons reported in a similar solid-fuel engine test in September.
Observers say the effort to increase engine power is likely related to efforts to put multiple warheads on a single missile to increase the chances of defeating U.S. defenses.
KCNA did not report exactly when and where the testing took place.
The testing was carried out as part of the country’s five-year military escalation program. According to KCNA, the goals of the plan include improving “strategic attack tools”.
The reference is understood to mean nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the continental United States.
Kim said the latest engine test was “of great importance in maximizing the country’s strategic military power,” KCNA reported.
In recent years, North Korea has test-fired various ICBMs, demonstrating their potential to reach the US mainland; These include solid-fuel missiles, which make detection difficult before they take off.
The country’s older liquid-fueled missiles need to be fueled before launch and cannot last long.
Some foreign experts say North Korea faces technological hurdles before it has a functioning ICBM, such as ensuring its warheads can withstand the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry.
But others dispute that assessment, given the number of years the country has spent on nuclear and missile programs.
North Korea has made a concerted effort to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.
At the ruling Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim left the door open to dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to abandon demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.
