North Korea displays new long-range missile at a military parade
celebrating Kim Jong Un
[October 11, 2025]
By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — At a massive military parade attended by
foreign leaders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled out his
nuclear-armed military’s most powerful weapons, including a new
intercontinental ballistic missile he may be preparing to test in coming
weeks.
The parade, which began in the rain Friday night at Pyongyang’s main
square and marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling
Workers’ Party, highlighted Kim’s growing diplomatic footing and his
relentless drive to build an arsenal that could target the continental
United States and his rivals in Asia.
North Korean state media said Saturday that the parade featured a new,
yet-to-be-tested ICBM called the Hwasong-20, which it described as the
country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.”
Joined by high-level Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian officials at a
podium, Kim said in a speech that his military “should continue to grow
into an invincible entity that destroys all threats,” but made no direct
mention of the United States or South Korea.
He also praised the thousands of North Korean soldiers he sent to Russia
to join its war against Ukraine, saying they displayed “heroic fighting
spirit” and “ideological and spiritual perfection” in a battle for
“international justice and genuine peace.”
Edited footage from North Korean state television showed what appeared
to be tens of thousands of spectators packed into the brightly lit
square, cheering and waving the national flag as columns of
goose-stepping soldiers and missile-mounted vehicles rolled through the
rain-soaked streets. The soldiers included troops Kim had sent to
Russia, who marched under North Korean and Russian flags as state media
hailed them as “invincible” warriors.
The Hwasong-20 is the latest addition to Kim’s growing list of ICBMs
North Korea in recent years has flight-tested a variety of ICBMs that
could potentially reach the U.S. mainland, including missiles with
built-in solid propellants that are easier to move and conceal and can
be prepared for launch more quickly than the North’s previous
liquid-fueled missiles.
The parade saw the debut of the massive Hwasong-20, with at least three
of them wheeled out on 11-axle launcher trucks.
The new missile’s existence was first revealed in recent weeks as North
Korea tested a new solid-fuel rocket engine that it said was intended
for future ICBMs. State media said the engine, built with carbon fiber,
is more powerful than past models.
Kim has called for the development of multi-warhead systems that would
improve the chances of penetrating missile defenses, and some experts
say the Hwasong-20 could be designed for that purpose.
Other weapons on display included shorter-range ballistic, cruise and
hypersonic missiles, which the North previously described as capable of
delivering nuclear strikes against targets in South Korea. The parade
also featured Kim’s newest tanks, artillery systems and drones, which
have been a key focus of his efforts to expand his conventional military
capabilities after he spent much of his early rule concentrating on
nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
[to top of second column]
|
This photo provided by North Korean government shows what it says a
new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20, during
a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of
the ruling Worker's Party, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Oct.
10, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the
event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean
government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be
independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as
provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for
Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News
Service via AP)
High-level visitors highlight Kim’s growing diplomatic reach
Kim this week hosted a rare group of high-level foreign officials
sent to Pyongyang to attend the anniversary celebrations, including
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
now deputy head of Moscow’s Security Council, and Vietnamese
Communist Party General Secretary To Lam.
During the parade, Kim took the central spot at the podium, flanked
by Li 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 out of isolation and establish a larger
role for North Korea in a united front against the U.S.-led West.
North Korea has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul
since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Donald Trump fell
apart in 2019 during the American president’s first term. In a
recent speech, Kim urged Washington to drop its demand for the North
to surrender its nukes 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 at
a massive military parade.
Kim on Friday separately met with Medvedev to discuss developing the
“comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance” with Russia, the
official Korean Central News Agency said. Medvedev praised the
“bravery and self-sacrificing spirit” of North Korean soldiers who
fought alongside Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into
Russia’s Kursk border region, and called for expanded exchanges and
cooperation between the two governments. Kim had also met Li and Lam
on Thursday for talks on strengthening ties.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kim has made Russia the priority
of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large
shipments of weapons, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to
help fuel Putin’s war.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
