North Korean dictator oversaw a test of a new high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine, according to state media, working on weapons capable of striking the U.S. mainland.
The test, reported Sunday by KCNA, involved an engine made with carbon-fiber materials and was described as part of a new five-year defense plan to upgrade the countrys “strategic strike” capabilities.
Kim said the test had “great significance in putting the countrys strategic military muscle on the highest level,” according to KCNA.
The engine reportedly produced 2,500 kilonewtons of thrust, higher than a similar engine it tested last year. Analysts say such engines could support more mobile or compact long-range missiles.
North Koreas report on the latest test could be “bluffing” as it did not disclose some key information like the engines total combustion time, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at s Science and Technology Policy Institute.
Solid-fuel systems are significant because they can be launched more quickly and with less warning than older liquid-fuel missiles, making them harder to detect and potentially more survivable in combat.
still faces major technical barriers before fielding a fully reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, especially ensuring a warhead can survive atmospheric reentry.
Kims latest military activities also included inspections of special operations training and tests of a new main battle tank, underscoring a broader push to modernize both North Koreas missile program and conventional forces, according to KCNA.
Kim claimed the tanks protection system could defeat nearly all existing anti-tank weapons, though such assertions could not be independently verified, Reuters reported.
The developments fit a wider pattern of stepped-up military activity by Pyongyang. Since the collapse of Kims diplomacy with President in 2019, North Korea has accelerated work on nuclear and missile systems despite sanctions, while keeping open the possibility of talks if Washington drops demands for denuclearization first.
At a rare in February, Kim unveiled a new five-year plan that reaffirmed continued development of nuclear weapons, while calling for a broad upgrade of the countrys military capabilities.
Analysts and regional governments also pointed to new tank and as part of Pyongyangs effort to adapt its military doctrine to modern warfare, drawing lessons from recent conflicts and emphasizing integration across ground and missile forces.
South Korea and the United States say they are closely monitoring North Koreas weapons developments.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
