North Korea’s Hwasong-15 ICBM during a military parade (Archive)
Washington, United States:
A US official said Sunday that it was “disappointing” that North Korea displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a military parade in Pyongyang, as denuclearization negotiations between the two countries remain stalled.
Leader Kim Jong Un watched the massive ICBM as it swept through Pyongyang at the climax of an unprecedented night parade on Saturday, weeks before the US elections.
“It is disappointing to see that the DPRK (North Korea) continues to prioritize its banned nuclear and ballistic missile program,” said a US official.
“The United States remains guided by the vision that President Trump and President Kim established in Singapore (in 2018) and calls on the DPRK to engage in sustained and substantive negotiations to achieve complete denuclearization.”
Analysts said it was the world’s largest road mobile liquid fuel missile, and would likely be designed to carry multiple warheads in independent reentry vehicles (MIRVs).
The ICBM was proof that North Korea had continued to develop its arsenal throughout the diplomatic process, analysts said, and could give Pyongyang added weight to demand a return to the negotiating table.
The missile, which may have been a mock-up, was carried on a massive 11-axis transporter-erector-launcher never seen before, much larger than the eight-axis Chinese-made vehicles the North has used so far.
Nuclear negotiations between Trump and Kim have stalled since the collapse of their Hanoi summit early last year over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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