North Korea Expands ICBM Capacity With Test of New Missile Engine

North Korea has taken another step in its weapons buildup, with state media reporting that leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw a ground test of an upgraded solid-fuel rocket engine, underscoring Pyongyang’s drive to sharpen its strategic arsenal.

The launch test points to what appears to be Mr Kim’s continuing effort to expand and modernise a stockpile of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed to reach the United States mainland.

The announcement came just days after Mr Kim used a speech to North Korea’s parliament to vow that his country’s identity as a nuclear power would be fixed beyond reversal. In the same address, he accused the US of global “state terrorism and aggression”, in remarks seen as an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East.

Solid-fuel technology is seen as a major military advantage because it allows missiles to be fired more quickly, with far less preparation before ignition. The added thrust can also help missiles carry multiple warheads, increasing their ability to penetrate and overwhelm defence systems.

Developing the high-thrust engines “conforms with the national strategy and the military demand for modernising the strategic forces”, Mr Kim said, according to the news agency, which did not reveal when or where the test took place.

KCNA said the engine tested most recently generated a higher thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons.

The advance shows North Korea’s “resolve to acquire missiles capable of hitting targets around the globe”, Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.

“Given the increased maximum thrust, this indicates its intention to possess ICBMs with global strike range, as well as the ability to overwhelm missile defence systems,” he added.

Kim Jong-un examines a solid-fuel missile engine

It marked the first officially confirmed test of a high-thrust solid-fuel engine since September last year, when state media reported that an engine had produced a maximum thrust of 1,971 kilonewtons.

Images released by the news agency showed Kim inspecting what appeared to be part of the engine, standing alongside officials.

Another photograph captured flames blasting from a ground-mounted engine, bathing the test site in orange light.

Mr Kim said North Korea’s defence capability had entered “a significant phase of change” as the country strengthens its strategic forces.

In a separate KCNA report, Mr Kim was also said to have visited a special forces training base, where he observed drills. Photographs showed soldiers handling weapons including an axe and a sledgehammer.

The exercise “showed the physical and technical ability they have prepared to be a match for a hundred combatants with iron fists”, KCNA said.

Additional reporting: PA