North Korea conducted a test of a carbon-fiber solid-fuel engine capable of being mounted on a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, with Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong-un observing the test. Analysts say Pyongyang highlighted its ability to directly strike the US mainland in a contingency, demonstrating a strategic position distinct from that of Iran.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim observed a ground ejection test of a solid-fuel engine using carbon-fiber composite materials. According to the report, the maximum thrust of the newly upgraded engine reached 2,500 kilonewtons (kN), a 26% improvement over the 1,971 kN maximum thrust recorded during a solid-fuel engine test in September last year. The engine may be installed on the Hwasong-20 ICBM currently under development.
North Korea already possesses the Hwasong-18 and Hwasong-19 missiles, which have a range of 15,000 kilometers and are capable of directly striking the US mainland. Despite this, analysts say the push to further increase engine output points to the development of a MIRV ICBM. A MIRV ICBM carries multiple warheads in its reentry vehicle, making it significantly harder to intercept than a single-warhead missile. Kim emphasized that the test "holds great significance in elevating the nation's strategic military capabilities to the highest level."
The move is interpreted as North Korea demonstrating its strategic superiority over countries such as Venezuela and Iran — whose US military interventions Pyongyang has been closely watching — through a show of force directed at Washington. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said, "This is a threat directed at the US, signaling that North Korea would make a decisive move at the national level should a situation similar to a US-Iran war unfold on the Korean Peninsula." Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "Thrust at the 2,500 kN level is a critical technology capable of neutralizing missile defense systems," adding, "This was a demonstration of its strategic position, which is distinct from that of Iran."
