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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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North Korea has unveiled weapons which have been dubbed a threat to U.S. military assets in the region, it has been reported.
Parade rehearsals are taking place in Pyongyang ahead of the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Friday which analysts have predicted will showcase hypersonic weapons and a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could bring the American mainland within range, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
Newsweek has contacted the North Korean Foreign Ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has suggested he would be open to dialogue with President Donald Trump if the U.S. dropped demands for denuclearization.
However, the unveiling of weapons that could strike American assets and even the U.S. mainland adds a new diplomatic and security problem for Washington.
What To Know
On October 5, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un appeared at an arms exhibition in Pyongyang which featured the Hwasong-11Ma, a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) KN-23 thought to have a hypersonic warhead.
Also on show were supersonic cruise missiles, anti-submarine missiles, and the Hwasong-18 and Hwasong-19 ICBMs, as Kim described the assets as being allocated to "key targets of interest."
Lim Eul-chul, a senior researcher at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, told the SCMP that Kim’s comments were "direct threats" against American military bases and assets stationed in South Korea.
This could incentivize Trump to pursue another summit with Kim, and was also a message to Seoul to stay away from U.S. military strategies and halt hostile activities against the North, Lim added.
In September, Kim viewed a high-thrust solid-fuel ICBM engine, believed to be a Hwasong-20 ICBM. A range of North Korean military hardware is expected to be on show at Friday’s parade which South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff says will involve thousands of troops.
Among equipment expected on display will be a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile and a series of hypersonic weapons which can threaten American naval forces in the region, the SCMP reported.
Lee Il-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense Network think tank, told This Week in Asia that it would be interesting to see if a Hwasong-20 ICBM was on show on Friday.
North Korea has sided with Russia in the war on Ukraine and is thought to be testing its upgraded short-range missiles against Ukrainian forces. Lee said that these missiles are difficult to intercept and pose new threats to U.S. aircraft carriers and military bases in the region.
What People Are Saying
Tyler Rogaway, editor-in-chief, TWZ on X: "The Hwasong-11Ma leverages a proven ballistic missile, but the state of North Korea's hypersonic developments remains questionable at best."
OSINT X account Visioner: "It is assumed that the Hwasong-11Ma will fly a longer distance, although its warhead is likely to be relatively smaller."
Kim Jong Un, on October 6 as cited by The Chosun Daily: "We have allocated our special assets to key targets of interest accordingly" adding, "can the South Korean territory ever be considered a safe place? That is for them to judge."
Lee Il-woo, Korea Defense Network, as per SCMP, said that Pyongyang’s "new hypersonic short-range missile, long-range kamikaze drones and cruise missiles pose new threats to US aircraft carriers and military bases in the region."
What Happens Next
All eyes will be on what kind of military hardware will appear in Pyongyang on Friday and whether there is a response from the Trump administration if it perceived a greater North Korean threat to U.S. interests.
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