North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, recently presented his nation’s most advanced weaponry, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called the Hwasong-20, during a large-scale military parade in Pyongyang. The event, which celebrated 80 years of the ruling Workers’ Party, was attended by international dignitaries from Russia and China, as well as officials from Vietnam and Laos.
The Hwasong-20 ICBM, highlighted by state media as the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system,” was the centerpiece of the parade. Alongside it, North Korea displayed a range of recently tested armaments, such as attack drones, rocket launchers, and battle tanks.
What We Know About the Hwasong-20 Missile
- This marks the first public appearance of North Korea’s newest nuclear-capable ICBM, the Hwasong-20. Flight tests have not yet been officially announced by Pyongyang.
- State media reported enthusiastic cheers from spectators as the Hwasong-20 missile column, characterized as the DPRK’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system,” entered the parade square.
- The missile is equipped with a solid-fuel engine constructed from carbon fiber composite materials. According to reports, this engine has undergone nine ground tests and is intended for use in the Hwasongpho-19 and Hwasongpho-20 missile series. In Korean, “Pho” translates to “artillery.”
- Solid-fueled rockets offer advantages in terms of mobility and rapid deployment, potentially being launched within minutes, making them more challenging to intercept compared to liquid-fueled counterparts.
- The Hwasong-20 was first mentioned by Kim Jong Un shortly before his visit to Beijing in September.
- Experts anticipate that the missile system will be tested by the end of the year. Ankit Panda from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace stated that the Hwasong-20 represents North Korea’s current peak ambition in long-range nuclear delivery capabilities.
- It is believed that the Hwasong-20 is designed to carry multiple warheads, which could increase the strain on existing U.S. missile defense systems and enhance North Korea’s perceived deterrence against Washington.