Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a large military parade in Pyongyang on Friday that showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile the state media called the country’s “most powerful” nuclear-capable weapon. The event, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, took place in the presence of senior foreign guests including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam.
State broadcaster KCNA and international news agencies showed columns of weaponry, with the newly revealed Hwasong-20 ICBM as the centrepiece. Pyongyang labelled the system its most powerful strategic nuclear delivery capability; analysts, however, note key technical questions remain concerning its guidance and the re-entry ability of nuclear warheads.
Commenting on the missile’s significance, Carnegie Endowment analyst Ankit Panda described the Hwasong-20 as the “apotheosis” of North Korea’s long-range delivery ambitions and said the system could enter a testing phase before the end of the year. He and other experts warned that the design may be intended to carry multiple warheads, a development that would complicate missile-defence calculations.
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Beyond the Hwasong-20, observers reported the parade displayed a range of advanced systems: hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, new rocket launchers and launchers for suicide drones. The spectacle underlined Pyongyang’s dual emphasis on augmenting both strategic deterrence and conventional strike capabilities.
In his address, Kim praised the armed forces, including those serving abroad and framed the military as essential not only to national defence but to the regime’s wider socialist mission. “Our army must be an invincible force that destroys every danger,” he said, according to state reports, using the parade to project deterrence and internal unity.
The parade and the presence of high-profile foreign delegations will be closely watched in capitals across East Asia and the West, where officials have already expressed concern about advances in Pyongyang’s long-range missile capabilities and their implications for regional stability.
