North Korea displays its newly tested ICBMs during military parade

Asia-Pacific, News April 27, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korea displayed its new and old weapon systems during a military parade that took place on April 25 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the North Korean military.

The North Korean state-owned news agency KCNA reported that during the military parade, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to speed up his efforts to enhance his country’s nuclear arsenal while he witnessed a huge military display that showed North Korea’s recently tested Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) and the new Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).

The parade took place during the nighttime to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the North Korean armed forces.

Pyongyang has recently stepped up its weapons testing and display of military power. Since 2017 North Korea has been testing its most powerful and controversial Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which made headlines in the international news especially catching the attention of the U.S. and South Korea, who see the ICBM test as an illegal move that violates several of the United Nations security resolutions. Both U.S. and South Korea condemned North Korea’s unnecessary aggression in the Korean Peninsula.

^{North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a nighttime military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Image Credit: Korean Central News Agency)}

U.S. and South Korean officials are also keeping a close eye on the new constructions in North Korea that are reported to be nuclear test sites. North Korea had officially closed its nuclear weapons testing in 2018, however, the reconstruction of the abandoned nuclear sites indicates that Pyongyang is close to developing nuclear weapons that are to be tested at these sites.

Dressed in a white suit, smiling Kim waved at the crowd and shook hands with senior officials when North Korea’s largest known ICBM, the Hwasong-17, appeared in the parade. According to the KCNA reports, while speaking to the gathering at the military parade in Pyongyang, on April 25, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un said that “The nuclear forces of our Republic should be fully prepared to fulfill their responsible mission and put their unique deterrent in motion at any time”.

Kim added that the fundamental mission of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is deterrence, however, its use “can never be confined to the single mission,”. He also said to warn the external forces, “If any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state, our nuclear forces will have to decisively accomplish an unexpected second mission.”

South Korea’s newly elected nationalist leader Yoon Suk-yeol takes the office on May 10. His transition into office has already faced severe criticism from the North Korean leadership, while he also holds are strict stance against North Korea. Pyongyang appears to be developing more weapons and carrying out more military and arsenal to intimidate the new incoming President on the southern side of the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. Envoy to North Korea Sung Kim visited Seoul last week and vowed to “respond responsibly and decisively to provocative behavior,” while underlining his willingness to engage with Pyongyang “anywhere, without any conditions”.