SEOUL: On Thursday, North Korean state media reported on a large-scale nighttime parade that showcased the country’s missile production abilities. The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s army and was held in Pyongyang. The event was attended by the country’s leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter, who is seen as a potential future leader.
State news agency KCNA reported that the parade featured more intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) than ever before, demonstrating North Korea’s “greatest” nuclear strike capability. The parade also showcased tactical nuclear units. As many as 11 Hwasong-17s, North Korea’s largest ICBMs, were displayed and are believed to have the range to strike nearly any location in the world with a nuclear warhead.
According to Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the display of ICBMs was more than what has been seen in previous North Korean parades. He added that if equipped with multiple warheads, the number of ICBMs could be enough to overwhelm existing U.S. missile defense systems.
Despite UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, North Korea has continued to advance its ballistic missile program by launching larger and more advanced missiles. Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul stated that the display was intended to demonstrate North Korea’s capabilities to deter and coerce, and this message will likely be further conveyed through solid-fuel missile tests and the detonation of a miniaturized nuclear device.
The parade also displayed what some analysts believe could be a prototype or mockup of a new solid-fuel ICBM in canister launchers. Developing a solid-fuel ICBM has long been a goal for the country, as it would make its nuclear missiles more difficult to detect and destroy during a conflict. It is unclear how close the suspected new missile is to testing, as North Korea has sometimes displayed mockups at parades in the past.
