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Seoul, October 101 (Reuters): North Korea unveiled never-before-seen ICBMs in an unprecedented pre-dawn military parade on Saturday that displayed the country’s long-range weapons for the first time in two years.
Analysts said the missile, which was displayed on an 11-axis carrier vehicle, would be one of the world’s largest mobile road intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in the world if operational.
“This missile is a monster,” said Melissa Hanham, deputy director of the Open Nuclear Network.
Also on display was the Hwasong-15, which is the longest-range missile North Korea ever tested, and what appeared to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
Ahead of the parade, which was held to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of their ruling Workers’ Party, officials from South Korea and the United States said Kim Jong-un could use the event to reveal a new “weapon. strategic “as promised. at the beginning of this year.
A senior US administration official called the ICBM display “disappointing” and called on the government to negotiate for complete denuclearization.
The parade featured North Korea’s ballistic missiles for the first time since Kim began meeting with international leaders, including US President Donald Trump, in 2018.
The US official said Washington was sticking to four commitments made by Trump and Kim at their historic meeting in June of that year, including Pyongyang’s commitment to “work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
Kim made no direct mention of the United States or the now-stalled denuclearization talks.
“We will continue to build our national defense power and self-defense war deterrent,” Kim said, but promised that the country’s military power will not be used preemptively.
Kim blamed international sanctions, typhoons and the coronavirus for preventing him from fulfilling his promises of economic progress.
“I am ashamed that I could not properly reward them for their enormous confidence,” he said. “My efforts and devotion were not enough to lift our people out of difficult livelihoods.”
The video showed Kim making an appearance when a clock struck midnight. Dressed in a gray suit and tie, he greeted the crowd and accepted children’s flowers while surrounded by military officers in Pyongyang’s recently renovated Kim Il Sung Square.
Kim spoke for nearly half an hour, often visibly sweating despite the cool morning air, shedding tears as he thanked the troops and smiling and laughing as he looked at the missiles.
The parade was highly choreographed, with thousands of troops marching in formation, displays of new conventional military equipment, including tanks and fighter jets firing flares and fireworks.
Experts said the largest new ICBM is likely designed to carry multiple independent reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing it to strike more targets and making interception more difficult.
Michael Elleman, director of Nuclear Policy and Non-Proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, calculated on Twitter that the new large missile could launch between 2,000 and 3,500 kg “to any point in CONUS”, making it more capable than the R- Soviet. ICBM 16 or R-26 that were never deployed.
The new ICBM is likely intended to dispel doubts about North Korea’s ability to strike the continental United States and the implicit threat that they are preparing to test the larger missile, said Markus Garlauskas, a former US intelligence officer. United for North Korea.
“If the Hwasong-15 could carry a ‘super large’ nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States, then the natural question is what can this larger missile carry?”
Pyonyang is expected to test the largest missile in the coming months, said Riki Ellison, founder of the nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, sending a message to both Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Jenny Town, a member of the Stimson Center, said it was unclear whether the missile shown was a concept or engineering mockup or a viable prototype. “It seems highly unlikely that they will try to implement this system without trying it at least once,” he said.
Kim was visibly moved when he thanked the troops for their sacrifice in responding to natural disasters and preventing a coronavirus outbreak.
He said he was grateful that not a single North Korean had tested positive for the disease, a claim that South Korea and the United States had previously disputed.
While attendees at other celebratory events were shown wearing masks, no one in the parade appeared to be wearing them.
Kim said he hoped that North and South Korea would come together again when the global coronavirus crisis is over.
South Korean officials said this week that Kim could use the event as a “low intensity” show of power ahead of the November 3 US presidential election, as denuclearization talks with Washington have stalled.
In a congratulatory message to Kim on the anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he intended to “defend, consolidate and develop” ties with North Korea, state media said on Saturday. – Reuters
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