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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has personally supervised the testing of a cutting-edge high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine, as reported by the nation’s state media. This development is part of an ongoing effort to enhance weaponry capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
Details of the trial, disclosed on Sunday by KCNA, indicate the engine is constructed with advanced carbon-fiber materials. This test is a component of a broader five-year defense strategy aimed at boosting North Korea’s “strategic strike” prowess.
Kim Jong Un expressed that the successful test marks a significant milestone in elevating the nation’s strategic military capabilities to an unprecedented level, as per KCNA’s coverage.
The engine demonstrated a thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons, surpassing the performance of a similar model tested the previous year. Experts suggest that such powerful engines could potentially support more agile or smaller-scale long-range missile systems.
A photograph released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday depicts a ground ejection test of what KCNA claims is a high-output solid-fuel engine, employing carbon fiber composite materials. (KCNA)
North Korea’s report on the latest test could be “bluffing” as it did not disclose some key information like the engine’s total combustion time, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute.
Solid-fuel systems are significant because they can be launched more quickly and with less warning than older liquid-fuel missiles, making them harder to detect and potentially more survivable in combat.
Pyongyang still faces major technical barriers before fielding a fully reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, especially ensuring a warhead can survive atmospheric reentry.
In this photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un observes a ground ejection test in North Korea. (KCNA)
Kim’s latest military activities also included inspections of special operations training and tests of a new main battle tank, underscoring a broader push to modernize both North Korea’s missile program and conventional forces, according to KCNA.
Kim claimed the tank’s protection system could defeat nearly all existing anti-tank weapons, though such assertions could not be independently verified, Reuters reported.
The developments fit a wider pattern of stepped-up military activity by Pyongyang. Since the collapse of Kim’s diplomacy with President Donald Trump in 2019, North Korea has accelerated work on nuclear and missile systems despite sanctions, while keeping open the possibility of talks if Washington drops demands for denuclearization first.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits a special operations training base in North Korea on Sunday, according to this picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA)
At a rare ruling party congress held in February, Kim unveiled a new five-year plan that reaffirmed continued development of nuclear weapons, while calling for a broad upgrade of the country’s military capabilities.
Analysts and regional governments also pointed to new tank and combined-arms drills as part of Pyongyang’s effort to adapt its military doctrine to modern warfare, drawing lessons from recent conflicts and emphasizing integration across ground and missile forces.
South Korea and the United States say they are closely monitoring North Korea’s weapons developments.