North Korea holds military parade, shows off new intercontinental missile
By Joyce Lee and Josh Smith
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a massive military parade showcasing his new intercontinental ballistic missile in front of visiting international dignitaries, state media KCNA said on Saturday.
The parade, which started late Friday, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Labor Party and followed celebrations on Thursday.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnamese Communist Party chairman To Lam were seen alongside Kim at the parade, while other foreign dignitaries also watched.
At the military parade, nuclear-armed North Korea displayed its most advanced Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, described by KCNA as the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.”
The Hwasong ICBM series has given North Korea the capacity to target anywhere on the US mainland, but questions remain about the complexity of its guidance system to engage a target and the ability of a warhead it carries to withstand atmospheric reentry.
“For now, Hwasong-20 represents the pinnacle of North Korea’s ambition for long-range nuclear delivery capabilities. We should expect the system to be tested before the end of this year,” said Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“The system is likely designed to carry multiple warheads… Multiple warheads would increase the pressure on existing U.S. missile defense systems and increase what Kim deems necessary to achieve meaningful deterrent effects against Washington.”
Other weapons on display included hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, a new type of multiple rocket launcher and a launcher for suicide drones, said Hong Min, a North Korea analyst at the Korea National Unification Institute.
In his speech at the military parade, Kim expressed “warm encouragement” to North Korean troops in overseas operations, and KCNA added that his army’s heroism would be seen not only in the defense of North Korea but also in the “outposts of socialist construction.”
“Our military must continue to become an invincible entity that destroys all threats,” Kim said.
Kim met with Medvedev earlier on Friday. Medvedev said that the sacrifice of North Korean soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia in its military operation in Ukraine proves the trust in relations between the two countries.
KCNA said Kim told Medvedev that he hoped to continue strengthening cooperation with Russia and participate closely in various exchanges to achieve common goals.
Vietnam and North Korea also signed cooperation agreements in various fields, including the ministries of defence, foreign affairs and health, KCNA said.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Josh Smith; Editing by Chris Reese and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
