North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un supervised a ground test of a new solid-fuel rocket engine intended for intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday, the latest move in Pyongyang’s long-range weapons development that officials say will strengthen the country’s ability to threaten distant targets.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Monday’s event was the ninth and final ground test of an engine built with carbon-fiber components and capable of producing 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust, stronger than previous North Korean designs. KCNA said the engine will be used for future ICBMs, including a system it identified as the Hwasong-20, and that Kim visited the research institute that developed the engine last week.
North Korea has in recent years tested a variety of long-range missiles and has increasingly employed solid propellants, which are easier to store, move and prepare for launch than older liquid-fuel systems. KCNA quoted Kim as expressing satisfaction with the test and describing the engine’s development as an “eye-opening” and “significant change” in his drive to expand the country’s nuclear forces.
Pyongyang’s publicly announced tests have shown missiles with potential ranges sufficient to reach the U.S. mainland, but many of those flight tests have been conducted on steeper-than-normal trajectories to limit overflight of neighboring countries. Analysts say North Korea has not yet demonstrated reliable technologies to protect reentry vehicles from the extreme heat and stress of atmospheric re-entry, and that developing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles would require further technical advances.
The testing push intensified after the collapse of nuclear diplomacy with Washington in 2019. North Korean leader Kim has pressed for advances in long-range weapons, including systems with multiple warheads, which could complicate missile defenses and affect regional security calculations. KCNA reports and outside analysts link the weapons program to a broader strategy of strengthening Pyongyang’s bargaining position in any future negotiations.
Kim has also sought to bolster diplomatic and military ties with longtime partners. He visited Beijing last week and shared the spotlight with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a large military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s fight against Japanese aggression, according to state accounts. KCNA said Xi sent Kim a letter on North Korea’s founding anniversary and called for strengthened “strategic communication” between the countries.
Separately, outside observers have noted increased cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the transfer of personnel and military equipment to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, a development that analysts say further complicates efforts to address Pyongyang’s weapons programs through diplomacy. North Korea’s latest engine test is likely to draw scrutiny from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo as they assess the technical significance of the advance and its implications for deterrence and defense planning in the region.
KCNA provided the account of the test but did not publish independent technical data that would allow outside experts to verify all of the agency’s claims. International responses and any further missile or flight tests have not been reported by Pyongyang as of Tuesday’s announcement.