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North Korea holds military parade, displays new intercontinental ballistic missile

2025-10-11 14:54:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

North Korea holds military parade, displays new intercontinental ballistic

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a grand military parade in which a new intercontinental ballistic missile was displayed before invited international dignitaries, state media KCNA reported on Saturday.

The parade, which began on Friday evening, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party and followed celebrations held on Thursday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam were seen next to Kim during the parade, while other foreign dignitaries watched the event from the stands.

At the military parade, North Korea - a nuclear-armed country - displayed its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile: the Hwasong-20, which was described by KCNA as the country's "most powerful strategic nuclear system."

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. We should expect the system to be tested before the end of this year," said Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The system is 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 a lasting deterrent effect on Washington.”

Among the other weapons displayed at the parade were hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, a new type of multiple rocket launcher and a launcher for suicide drones, said Hong Min, a North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

During the military parade, Kim delivered a speech expressing "warm encouragement" to North Korean troops operating abroad, adding that the heroism of his army would be seen not only in defending North Korea but also at "the checkpoints of socialist construction," KCNA reported.

"Our military must continue to grow into an invincible force that destroys any threat ," Kim said.

Kim held talks earlier on Friday with Medvedev, who said the sacrifice of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in its military campaign in Ukraine proves the trust in relations between the two countries.

Kim told Medvedev that he hopes to continue strengthening cooperation with Russia and closely engage in various exchanges to achieve common goals, according to KCNA.

Vietnam and North Korea also signed cooperation agreements in various fields, including those between the Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs and Health, KCNA reported without providing further details./REL