North Korea unveils new Hwasong-20 ICBM at military parade
North Korea has showed off its newly developed Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, among other new weapons, at a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Yonhap reports citing state media.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the new ICBM as "the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system" as it reported its disclosure at the military parade.
The military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Friday night, overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and attended by high-ranking leaders from China, Russia, Vietnam and others, was seen as Kim's willingness to solidify his diplomacy with nations against the West and display the North's nuclear arsenal.
Last month, the KCNA unveiled the test of a new high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine, saying it will be used for the new-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM under development.
The engine test marked the ninth of its kind and "the last one" in the development process, the KCNA said at that time, describing its maximum thrust as 1,971 kilonewtons.
Friday's military parade also featured hypersonic missiles, a weapon capable of bypassing enemy missile defense systems.