| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter watch the military parade. Photo: AP. |
Al Jazeera news agency reported that Chairman Kim Jong-un, his wife and daughter watched live the military parade on the evening of February 8 in Pyongyang to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean army.
Central News Agency North Korea (KCNA) reported that many weapons were present in this parade, including strategic nuclear missiles and ICBMs. KCNA described these weapons as playing an important role in supporting the North once morest its enemies.
Researcher Joseph Dempsey at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (UK) analyzed: “Following the appearance of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile pairs are four unidentified systems that appear to be of similar size. “.
KCNA meanwhile reported that when the ICBMs appeared on the square, the audience cheered. KCNA also added that a “strategic nuclear unit” took part in the parade.
Ankit Panda at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (USA) assessed that this new ICBM may in fact be the one that appeared in the 2017 military parade but has not been tested by North Korea since then.
Most of North Korea’s largest ballistic missile Both use liquid fuel, so needing to be loaded at the launch site through a very time consuming process. The use of solid fuels can make the rocket more mobile and reduce the time it takes to prepare for launch.
The development of solid-fuel ICBMs has long been North Korea’s key goal because it can make the missile difficult to detect and destroy. Leif-Eric Easley, an adjunct professor at Ewha Women’s University in South Korea, commented: “The message Pyongyang wants to send to the world, demonstrating its ability to prevent, is likely to be expressed through the test a solid-fuel rocket or activate a miniaturized nuclear device.”
Al Jazeera reporter Rob McBride said the parade seemed to confirm that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remained on the path of weapons development, with Pyongyang testing ballistic missiles in 2022. in unprecedented numbers.
North Korea insists its weapons development program is within its sovereignty to defend itself and is necessary once morest the “hostile policies” of the United States, South Korea and Japan.
NK News reported that in addition to the new solid-fuel ICBM, the parade also featured 11 Hwasong-17 missiles. Only four Hwasong-17 missiles appeared in the 2020 parade, so NK News said this indicates that there is a possibility that mass production of this new missile is taking place.
