At a massive military parade featuring the new solid-fuel missile and other weapons, leader Kim Jong-un declared that sovereignty could be secured only through military might.
“Our army should continue to grow into an invincible entity that destroys all threats … by dint of its political, ideological, military and technical superiority overwhelming the enemy,” he said.
The North, he added, should steadily strengthen itself into “elite armed forces which win victory after victory on the strength of morality and discipline”.
Unlike liquid-fuel missiles, solid-fuel rockets are more mobile, harder to detect by spy satellites, and can be launched on short notice. Theoretically, the Hwasong-20 could reach all US territories.
Kim said North Korea would continue its struggle to oppose “injustice and hegemony”, in an apparent reference to the United States. However, he refrained from issuing any direct threats against Washington or Seoul.
