N. Korea unveils new ICBM at military parade
North Korean military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, Saturday, saw a new intermediate-range ballistic missile known as the Pukguksong-2. / Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
In its military parade Saturday at Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung Square, North Korea unveiled what experts believe is its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The parade commemorated the 105th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the North’s late founding leader.
North Korean state TV aired a trailer carrying a missile-shaped canister past the reviewing stand of state leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials of his regime. South Korean military officials said “It is presumed to be a new ICBM. It seems longer than the existing KN-08 or KN-14 ICBMs.”
Other experts guessed it may be an upgraded version in the Pukguksong ballistic missile series. Prof. Kim Dong-yup from the Institute for Far East Studies of Kyungnam University said it is likely an ICMB with a cold launch system using solid fuel.
“It may be a Pukguksong-3,” Professor Kim said.
Also displayed in the parade was what appeared to be a KN-14 ICBM, which was made public in the North’s 2015 military parade. It was carried on a 16-wheel transporter erector launcher.
What looked to be a KN-08 ICBM, which was first shown in the 2012 parade, was also on display. The parade also displayed a submarine-launched ballistic missile as claimed by the North.
Submarine-launched ballistic missile "Pukguksong" at the parade / Yonhap
In the parade as well was a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Pyongyang calls the Pukguksong-2, also known as a KN-15 missile. It is an upgraded version of an SLBM, called Pukguksong. In February, North Korea test-fired a Pukguksong-2 missile that flew more than 500 kilometers out in the East Sea. Pyongyang announced that the launch was a “complete success.”
Also shown at the parade were Scud-ER ballistic missiles, KN-06 surface-to-air missiles, multiple-launch anti-ship missiles and 300-mm artillery rockets.
North Korea displayed the weapons in the parade apparently to boast about its military power as the U.S. continues to deploy high-profile military assets near the peninsula, including a naval strike group led by the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.
Tensions have been rising in Korea since the inauguration of Donald Trump as the U.S. president, who is seeking to ratchet up pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime to counter its nuclear and missile ambitions.