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North Korea displays its nuclear capability in the largest ICBM parade in its history

2023-02-09T14:38:57.117Z


North Korea displayed nearly a dozen nuclear-capable ICBMs in the largest parade in its history. They publish a rare photo of Kim Jong Un with what is believed to be his daughter 2:17 (CNN Spanish) -- North Korea displayed nearly a dozen advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at a nighttime military parade Wednesday, in the biggest display yet of what its state media described as "nuclear strike capability." from Pyongyang. The missiles paraded through Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung


They publish a rare photo of Kim Jong Un with what is believed to be his daughter 2:17

(CNN Spanish) --

North Korea displayed nearly a dozen advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at a nighttime military parade Wednesday, in the biggest display yet of what its state media described as "nuclear strike capability." from Pyongyang.

The missiles paraded through Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square as leader Kim Jong Un watched, accompanied by his wife, and a young woman believed to be his daughter.

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    inside North Korea

The long-awaited event, marking the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean military, comes less than two months after Kim called for an "exponential increase" in his country's nuclear arsenal in response to what he says are threats from South Korea. and United States.

Last year, North Korea tested more missiles than ever in its history, including an ICBM missile that could theoretically reach the continental United States.

That missile, the Hwasong-17, is the one that analysts say was on display this Wednesday night.

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A mockup of what analysts believe could be a new solid-fueled North Korean ICBM is displayed in Pyongyang on Wednesday night.

"It looks like 10-12 Hwasong-17 ICBMs made an appearance. That's more ICBM launchers than we've ever seen in a North Korean parade," Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the North Korea, said on social media. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Panda said that if each missile were equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, they could represent a bulk sufficient to overwhelm US ballistic missile defenses.

This unprecedented deployment seems to show that Kim is making good on his promise to equip the country with a nuclear arsenal capable of threatening the United States.

In addition to the Hwasong-17, analysts said North Korea displayed what could be a mockup of a new solid-fuel ICBM, which, if operational, would give Pyongyang a more mobile and hard-to-detect nuclear missile.

Solid fuel rockets are more stable than liquid fuel rockets, such as the Hwasong-17.

This means that a solid fuel ICBM could move more easily and launch faster than a liquid fuel one.

Satellite images show North Korea holding a large nighttime military parade with apparent ballistic missile launchers.

North Korea declared in December that it had successfully tested a solid-fuel rocket engine.

But the presence of the potential solid fuel missiles in the parade does not mean they are viable.

North Korea is not believed to have flight-tested a solid-fuel missile, and experts say it faces many technical hurdles before it can deploy one.

In addition to ICBMs, North Korean state media claimed the parade included long-range cruise missiles and tactical missiles.

The Kim regime uses its military parades to bolster domestic support for its military programs, while sending a signal to the United States, South Korea and other countries.

But North Korea's missile buildup violates United Nations sanctions and sucks up resources that could be used elsewhere.

"Kim Jong Un has let North Korea's growing long-range and tactical missile forces speak for themselves," says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Seoul's Ewha University.

"The regime has staked its legitimacy on nuclear weapons at the expense of diplomacy and the economy."

North Korean ICBMs zoom past leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade Wednesday night in Pyongyang.

Easley and other analysts say the next step in North Korea's nuclear weapons development could be an underground test of a real weapon and it could come at any time.

Wednesday night's parade followed a lavish banquet the night before in which Kim put a girl believed to be her daughter Ju Ae in the spotlight, the latest sign the girl is possibly being groomed. as its eventual successor.

Footage released by state media showed the girl walking alongside Kim and her mother as they entered the banquet venue as the military applauded.

At the banquet, the girl sat in the center of the head table, between Kim and her mother.

In a country where the Kim family and the military are powerful, the girl's presence at such an important event sends clear signals, said Easley, the Ewha University professor.

"By ostentatiously including his wife and daughter, Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked," he said.

With information from Yoonjung Seo, Paul P. Murphy, and Jonny Hallam.

Nuclear weapons

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-09

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