North Korea displays a new long-range missile in a military parade celebrating Kim Jong Un

In a huge military parade attended by foreign leaders, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Jong Un He introduced his nuclear-armed army’s most powerful weapons, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile that he may be preparing to test in the coming weeks.

The parade, which began in the rain Friday night in Pyongyang’s main square to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, highlighted Kim’s growing diplomatic status and his continuing efforts to build an arsenal that can target the continental United States and his rivals in Asia.

North Korean state media said on Saturday that the parade included a new, yet-to-be-tested intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20, which it described as “the country’s most powerful strategic nuclear weapons system.”

Kim, who was joined at the podium by high-ranking officials from China, Vietnam and Russia, said in a speech that his military “must continue to grow into an invincible entity that destroys all threats,” but he did not directly refer to the United States or South Korea.

He also praised the thousands of North Korean soldiers he sent to Russia to join them Her war against Ukraine, saying they showed “heroic fighting spirit” and “ideological and spiritual perfection” in a battle for “international justice and true peace.”

Edited footage from North Korean state television showed what appeared to be tens of thousands of spectators packed into the brightly lit square, chanting and waving the national flag as columns of soldiers and missile-mounted vehicles roamed the rain-soaked streets. Among the soldiers were Kim’s forces Sent to RussiaThey marched under the flags of North Korea and Russia while state media hailed them as “invincible” warriors.

North Korea, in recent years, has done just that Tested on the fly A variety of ICBMs that could reach the US mainland, including compact solid-fuel missiles that are easier to transport and conceal and can be configured to launch more quickly than previous liquid-fueled Northern missiles.

The parade saw the debut of the massive Hwasong-20 missile, with at least three of them transported on 11-axle launcher trucks.

The existence of the new missile was first revealed in recent weeks when North Korea tested a new solid-fuel rocket engine that it said was intended for future intercontinental ballistic missiles. State media said the carbon fiber engine is more powerful than previous models.

Kim called for the development of multi-warhead systems that would improve the chances of penetrating missile defenses, and some experts say that Hwaseong-20 They can be designed for this purpose.

Other weapons on display include short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles, which North Korea has previously described as capable of launching nuclear strikes against targets in South Korea. The display also included Kim’s latest tanks, artillery systems and drones, which have been a major focus of his efforts to… Expand and his conventional military capabilities after spending most of his early rule focusing on nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

This week, Kim hosted a rare group of high-ranking foreign officials sent to Pyongyang for the anniversary celebrations, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy head of the Security Council in Moscow, and Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary General Tu Lam.

During the performance, Kim occupied the central place on the podium, flanked by Lee to his right and Lam to his left, while Medvedev stood next to Lam.

The high-level visits highlight Kim’s increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to break isolation and establish a greater role for North Korea in a united front against the US-led West. North Korea has avoided any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s talks Nuclear diplomacy is high risk With the collapse of Donald Trump in 2019 during the first term of the US President. In a recent speech, Kim urged Washington to abandon its demand for North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons as a precondition for resuming diplomacy.

Kim also visited China last month and shared center stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a massive military parade.

Kim met separately on Friday with Medvedev to discuss developing the “comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance” with Russia, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. Medvedev praised the North Korean soldiers’ “courage and spirit of self-sacrifice.” who fought alongside Russian forces to repel the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk, and called for expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two governments. Kim also met with Lee and Lam on Thursday for talks on strengthening ties.