North Korea tests ‘new type, high thrust’ solid-fuel engines for IRBMs
Al JazeeraNov 05, 2023
North Korea Tests New Solid-Fuel Engines for IRBMs
Image copyright: Getty Images News [via Getty Images]
The Facts
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday that static tests of a new high-thrust solid-fuel engine for its intermediate ballistic missiles (IRBM) have been successfully conducted, stressing the strategic importance of solid-fuel missiles.
The results were reportedly highly satisfactory for both the inaugural first-stage engine test conducted on Nov. 11 and for the second-stage engine on Tuesday, boosting confidence in the goal of reliably developing a new IRBM this year.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This latest test confirms that Kim Jong Un is trying to strengthen his military's ability to conduct sneak attacks on Western allies, a move that must raise alarm bells all across the region. Though Pyongyang's missile program may not yet have all the technology needed to make pinpoint, targeted, long-distance strikes, arms cooperation with Russia could enhance the threat of its missile and nuclear programs. The US, South Korea, and Japan must now prepare for how it would respond militarily should Kim decide to attack.
Establishment-critical narrative
The so-called freedom-loving West has selected a few countries to bad-mouth — North Korea, Russia, and China — while doing exactly what it accuses them of doing. The US and UK have both sent illegal cluster bombs and depleted uranium bombs to Ukraine to drop on Russians, and Japan and South Korea are building up their military capabilities while conducting provocative exercises with the US. The G7 nations are bullies who only care about de-escalation when it's them calling on others to de-escalate.