North Korea’s Missile Ambitions: New Engine Test Signals Threat to US Mainland

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently oversaw the trial of a new high-thrust, solid-fuel engine designed for military use, which he praised as a significant advancement in enhancing the nation’s strategic military power, according to a Sunday report by state media.

The test suggests Kim’s determination to expand and modernize North Korea’s missile arsenal, potentially increasing its capability to strike the U.S. mainland.

This development was reported by the Korean Central News Agency just days after Kim addressed North Korea’s Parliament. In his speech, he vowed to solidify the country’s status as a nuclear power irreversibly, while accusing the United States of engaging in global “state terrorism and aggression,” a comment seemingly directed at the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

During the test, Kim observed the ground jet operation of the newly advanced engine, enhanced with composite carbon fiber materials. The Korean Central News Agency noted the engine’s maximum thrust reached 2,500 kilotons, a significant increase from the approximately 1,971 kilotons recorded in a similar test conducted in September.

Analysts believe that the move to bolster engine power is likely part of a strategy to equip missiles with multiple warheads, thereby improving the likelihood of overcoming U.S. defense systems.

KCNA did not report exactly when or where the test occurred.

The test was conducted as part of the country’s five-year military escalation program. The plan’s objectives include upgrading “strategic strike means,” KCNA reported.

The reference is understood to mean nuclear-capable, intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the continental U.S.

Kim said the latest engine test had “great significance in putting the country’s strategic military muscle on the highest level,” KCNA reported.

In recent years, North Korea has test-fired a variety of ICBMs demonstrating the potential range to reach the U.S. mainland, including missiles with solid propellants that make detection prior to liftoff more difficult. The country’s older liquid-fuel missiles must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long.

Some foreign experts say North Korea still faces technological hurdles before it has a functioning ICBM, such as ensuring its warheads survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry. But others dispute that assessment given the number of years the country has spent on its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea has pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In a ruling Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim left open the door for dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.