- North Korea cited the country’s “largest nuclear assault capacity.”
- The missiles were paraded across Pyongyang.
- The Hwasong-17 missile, according to analysts, was displayed in record numbers.
North Korea showed almost a dozen modernized intercontinental ballistic missiles during a nighttime military parade on Wednesday, citing the country’s “largest nuclear assault capacity,” according to state-run media.
The missiles were paraded across Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Plaza as Kim Jong Un, his wife, and a young girl thought to be his daughter watched.
The ceremony, which commemorated the North Korean army’s founding anniversary, came less than two months after North Korean leader Kim called for an “exponential buildup” in his country’s nuclear weapons in response to what he alleges are threats from South Korea and the United States.
North Korea tested more missiles last year than at any other time in its history, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the ICBM mainland.
The Hwasong-17 missile, according to analysts, was displayed in record numbers on Wednesday night.
“It looks like 10-12 Hwasong-17 ICBMs made an appearance. This is cumulatively more ICBM launchers than we’ve ever seen before at a North Korean parade,” Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said on social media.
17 mobile ballistic missile launchers
Prior to the parade, commercial satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies showed at least 17 mobile ballistic missile launchers lined up in readiness for the display.
The display also included tactical missiles and long-range cruise missiles, according to North Korean state media.
The Kim administration utilizes military parades to bolster domestic support for its military initiatives while also signaling to the US, South Korea, and others that it is ready to respond to any attack.
The march on Wednesday night followed a sumptuous banquet the night before, at which Kim put a girl thought to be his daughter Ju Ae in the spotlight, the latest indication that the youngster is being groomed as his ultimate successor.
Pictures published by state media showed the girl strolling with Kim and her mother as they entered the banquet site, while military officers stood nearby.
The girl was seated in the center of the main table, between Kim and her mother.
The presence of the girl at such a significant ceremony sends obvious signals in a country where the Kim family and the military are all-powerful, according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“By ostentatiously including his wife and daughter, Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked,” he said.
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