북, 열병식에서 '다탄두' 추정 신형 ICBM•SLBM 공개
Our starting point on this Sunday evening: North Korea unveils new ballistic missiles during a huge, annual military parade.
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the ruling Worker's Party, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered a speech that was unprovocative and with no mention of the U.S.
The world also caught a rare glimpse of Kim's emotional side while addressing the hardhips the regime has endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Han Seong-woo has more.
North Korea on Saturday unveiled its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, possibly capable of holding multiple warheads.
However, regime leader Kim Jong-un refrained from making inflammatory remarks directed at South Korea or the United States.
The North showcased its new weapon at the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party.
The event unexpectedly went ahead before dawn but was marked as tradition goes with a large-scale military parade.
The new, liquid-fueled and possibly world's largest mobile ICBM is believed to be an upgraded and enlarged version of the Hwaseong-15, which is capable of striking any part of the U.S.
Presumed to be named 'Hwaseong-16', the missile is estimated to have a payload capability ranging between two-thousand and three-thousand-five-hundred kilograms.
But ahead of the November third election in the U.S., Kim Jong-un gave a mostly unprovocative speech without mentioning Washington.
"I do not want our military might to be aimed at anyone. I stress that the purpose of our war-deterrence efforts is self-defense."
Also on display was a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, the "Bukgeukseong-Four", which 38 North says is unlikely to have the range to strike Guam, Hawaii, or the U.S. west coast without a vulnerable transit.
Although not certain whether the new weapons are operational or mock-ups at this point, South Korea's Ministry of Defense on Sunday expressed concern at Pyeongyang's course of action and requested for the regime to ease military tensions.
The ministry said that South Korea is closely analyzing the missiles in cooperation with American intelligence.
During his speech, Kim Jong-un was tearful while addressing the hardships North Korea has had to face throughout 2020... and thanked his people for their support.
The leader also left words of encouragement for South Korea, saying he would like to once again hold hands as soon as the health crisis passes.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.