At massive military review, North Korea reveals new kinds of ICBM

North Korea"s military parade - BBC News

Posted on : Apr.17,2017 16:19 KST Modified on : Apr.17,2017 16:19 KST

A missile that could be a new ICBM, seen at the Apr. 15 military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-sung, in this photo from the Apr. 15 edition of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper. (Yonhap News)

Also on auspicious weekend, North Korea appeared to fail in missile launch attempt; type of missile not yet known North Korea revealed what is believed to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a military review on Apr. 15.It also launched a ballistic missile on Apr. 16, in an apparent signal that Pyongyang does not plan to back down in the face of military pressure from the US Donald Trump administration.North Korea staged a military review at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to commemorate the 105th anniversary of Kim Il-sungs birth on Apr. 15. During the review, which was broadcast live by state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) from 10:05 am South Korea time, a suspected new ICBM in a cylindrical launching tube was seen being transported on a large truck. The missile represented a new model that had not been shown in public before.It appears to be longer than the KN-08 or the KN-14, which are the ICBMs that have previously been shown in public. It looks to be a new kind of ICBM, said a military source.North Korea also showed what is believed to be a KN-14 missile on a transporter erector launcher (TEL). The KN-14 was unveiled at an Oct. 2015 event for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers Party, with observers at the time believing it to be an improved version of the KN-08. Also shown for the first time at the Apr. 15 review were the submarine-launched ballistic missile Pukguksong (KN-11), which was test-launched last August; the solid-propellant ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 (KN-15), which was test-launched in February; and the Scud-Extended Range (ER).In a celebratory speech, Workers Party Central Committee vice chair Choe Ryong-hae said, The new administration in the US is gravely threatening world peace and security by constantly carrying out military attacks against sovereign states.

Two Pukguksong SLBM missiles, seen during the Apr. 15 military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-sung, in a korean central television broadcast. (yonhap News)

We will answer total war with total war and nuclear war with our own [North Korean] version of nuclear strike warfare, he continued, signaling Pyongyangs commitment to responding to US pressure by showing off its own strategic weaponry.The main focus of attention at the review was on the suspected new ICBM. Its surface similarities to Russias recently deployed new Topol-M ICBM suggest it is capable of traveling as far as the mainland US. But with North Korea not actually showing what kind of missile was inside the launch tube, there are still questions about its actual capabilities.The broadcast also showed images from the leaders section, where State Security Minister Kim Won-hong - the subject of previous purge rumors - was seen receiving a four-star generals insignia and sitting between Minister of Peoples Security Choe Pu-il and Supreme Guard commander Yun Jong-rin. Kims appearance on Apr. 15 raised the possibility that previous South Korean Ministry of Unification claims that he had been dismissed after a January downgrade to from general to one-star major general may have been false.Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea appeared to have unsuccessfully attempted a missile launch in the area of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 6:20 am on Apr. 16.Its difficult to ascertain the missile type at the moment because it exploded in midair shortly after launch. Additional analysis will be needed, said a military official.By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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