North Korea unveils new ICBM during military parade
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
North Korea displayed what appeared to be its largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile during a nighttime military parade in Pyongyang on Saturday, but it was not immediately clear if the missile would work or was for show.
The North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to strengthen the country’s nuclear deterrent amid stalled diplomacy with President Donald Trump, coming at a time when he has struggled to keep his promises to strengthen the hermetic country’s economy.
The new ICBM appeared to be much larger than North Korea’s largest, previously disclosed longrange missile, the Hwasong-15. The size of the new missile indicated that it might be able to fly farther and carry a more powerful nuclear warhead, South Korean and other analysts said, although it has never been flight-tested.
North Korea has been increasing its missile and nuclear technologies despite Trump’s on-again, off-again diplomacy with Kim, and the display Saturday is likely an attempt to show that more advances are being made.
But it was not immediately clear if the new missiles were real or were mocked-up versions.
When North Korea testlaunched the Hwasong-15 in late 2017, it claimed the missile could reach any part of the continental United States carrying a nuclear warhead. Although North Korea has conducted three ICBM tests, all in 2017, it remained unclear whether the country had the technology needed to protect a nuclear warhead during atmospheric reentry.
North Korea had been preparing for months for the military parade Saturday, the 75th anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party. Analysts noted Kim’s political calculations in deciding how to celebrate the party anniversary, an important national holiday, which comes just weeks before the November election in the United States. By displaying a new and apparently more powerful ICBM, Kim seemed to demonstrate the North’s growing military threat to whoever wins the election.
By showing off — but not going so far as launching — a new ICBM for the party anniversary, analysts said Kim appeared to want to avoid provoking Trump unnecessarily before the U.S. election. But the display may indicate that he has the ability to testlaunch the missile if he decided to try to boost his leverage in future talks with whoever wins the election.