N. Korea unveils new Hwasong-20 ICBM at military parade
Baku, October 11, AZERTAC
North Korea has showed off its newly developed Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, among other new weapons, at a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the state media.
The military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Friday night, overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and attended by high-ranking leaders from China, Russia, Vietnam and others, was seen as Kim's willingness to solidify his diplomacy with nations against the West and display the North's nuclear arsenal.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the new ICBM as "the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system" as it reported its disclosure at the military parade.
The display of the Hwasong-20 ICBM, capable of striking the U.S. mainland, appears aimed at showcasing the country's nuclear force and demonstrating its de facto possession of nuclear weapons in the presence of foreign state leaders and high-level guests.
In his speech to the parade, Kim called for the armed forces to continue to develop into an "invincible" entity.
"Our army should continue to grow into an invincible entity that destroys all threats approaching our range of self-defense by dint of its political, ideological, military and technical superiority overwhelming the enemy, and it should steadily strengthen itself into elite armed forces which win victory after victory on the strength of morality and discipline," he said.
"The heroic fighting spirit displayed, and the victory achieved, by our revolutionary armed forces on the foreign battlefields for international justice and genuine peace, demonstrated the ideological and spiritual perfection of our army," he said.
No direct mention of either the U.S. or South Korea was made.
North Korea has invited foreign guests to events marking the party anniversary, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang; Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council; and Vietnam's leader To Lam.
Chinese Premier Li and Vietnamese leader Lam stood on either side of Kim during the military parade, with Medvedev standing next to Lam.
"As the Hwasong-20 ICBM, the most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, entered the square ... the eruption of spectators' enthusiastic cheers reached its peak," the KCNA said.
Last month, the KCNA unveiled the test of a new high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine, saying it will be used for the new-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM under development.
The engine test marked the ninth of its kind and "the last one" in the development process, the KCNA said at that time, describing its maximum thrust as 1,971 kilonewtons.
Friday's military parade also featured hypersonic missiles, a weapon capable of bypassing enemy missile defense systems.
"Strategic weapon systems, the core of absolute power and the essence of our party's continuously strengthened self-defense capabilities to safeguard the rights to survival, development and peace, entered the square," the KCNA said.
The KCNA listed hypersonic glide and medium- and long-range strategic missiles, Chonma-20 main battle tanks, 155-millimeter howitzers and 600 mm multiple rocket launchers as featured in the parade.
Files of strategic cruise missiles, drone launch vehicles, and surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles also took part in the parade, according to the state media.
Defense Minister No Kwang-chol appeared at the head of marching troops, including those from the strategic unit in charge of missile operations and the special operations unit.
The agency said the "invincible" foreign operations unit, which made history for the Korean People's Army and showcased Koreans' prowess, marched in columns, suggesting the parade may also have featured the military unit that sent troops to support Russia in its war with Ukraine.
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