North Korea military parade, Kim Jong Un displays new intercontinental missile
Express newspaper
11/10/2025 18:01
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a major military parade, in which a new intercontinental ballistic missile was displayed in front of invited international dignitaries.
The parade, held on Friday, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam stood alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while other foreign dignitaries watched from the stands.
In the military parade, North Korea – a country armed with nuclear weapons – displayed its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile: the Hwasong-20, which was described by KCNA as the country’s “most powerful strategic nuclear system”, writes A2 CNN.
The Hwasong series of missiles has given North Korea the ability to target any part of the US mainland, however, there are still doubts about the sophistication of the guidance system to reach the target, as well as the ability of the nuclear warhead to withstand re-entry into the atmosphere.
“The Hwasong-20 represents, for now, the pinnacle of North Korea’s ambitions for long-range nuclear weapons,” said Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he said the system was likely designed to deliver multiple warheads.
Their multiplication will add pressure on existing US missile defense systems and strengthen what Kim sees as necessary to achieve lasting effect: intimidation of Washington.
“Among other weapons displayed at the parade were hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, a new type of multiple rocket launchers and a launcher for suicide drones,” said Hong Min, a North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
In a meeting with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Kim Jong Un pledged full support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.