North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of a new high-thrust rocket engine that was working on weapons that could strike the U.S. mainland, according to state media.
The test, KCNA reported this on Sundayinvolved an engine made from carbon fiber materials and was described as part of a new five-year defense plan to improve the country’s “strategic strike capabilities”.
Kim said the test was “of great importance in raising the country’s strategic military power to the highest level,” according to KCNA.
The engine reportedly produced 2,500 kilonewtons of thrust, more than a comparable engine he tested last year. Analysts say such engines could support more mobile or compact long-range missiles.
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This photo released Sunday by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency shows a ground ejection test of what KCNA said is a high-performance solid-fuel engine using carbon fiber composite materials. (KCNA)
North Korea’s report on the latest test could be a “bluff” because it does not disclose some key information such as the engine’s total combustion time, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary researcher at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute.
Solid-fueled systems are important because they can be launched faster and with less warning than older liquid-fueled missiles, making them harder to detect and potentially more survivable in combat.
Pyongyang still faces major technical barriers before it can deploy a fully reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, including ensuring that a warhead can survive reentry.
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In this photo released Sunday by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un observes a ground ejection test in North Korea. (KCNA)
Kim’s latest military activities also include inspections of special operations training and tests of a new main battle tank, which KCNA said underlines a broader push to modernize both North Korea’s missile program and its conventional military forces.
Kim claimed the tank’s security system could defeat almost all existing anti-tank weapons, although such claims could not be independently verified, Reuters reported.
The developments fit into a broader pattern of increased military activity by Pyongyang. Since the collapse of Kim’s diplomacy with President Donald Trump in 2019, North Korea has accelerated work on nuclear and missile systems despite sanctions, while keeping open the possibility of talks if Washington first drops demands for denuclearization.
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits a special operations training base in North Korea on Sunday, according to this photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA)
At a rare ruling party congress in February, Kim unveiled a new five-year plan that reaffirmed the continued development of nuclear weapons while calling for a broad upgrade of the country’s military capabilities.
Analysts and regional governments also pointed to new tank and combined arms exercises as part of Pyongyang’s efforts to adapt its military doctrine to modern warfare, drawing lessons from recent conflicts and emphasizing the integration of ground and missile forces.
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South Korea and the United States say they are closely monitoring North Korea’s weapons developments.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
