The October 10 parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea was attended by Li Qiang – the first Chinese premier to visit the country in 16 years. It featured several advanced weapons systems, including tanks, artillery and drones as well as three new Hwasong-20 missiles.
Other high-ranking officials present at the military parade included Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, and Vietnamese leader To Lam.
The new missile’s existence was only disclosed last month when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a factory making nuclear materials, a day before he set off for Beijing to attend a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II – his first visit to China since 2019.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency has described the new missile as “the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system”.
Although it has not yet tested the new missile, North Korea tested a new solid-fuel rocket engine last month that state media said would be used for future ICBMs.
