North Korea Flaunts Biggest Missiles at Nighttime Military Parade <br /><br />SEOUL — <br />North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen his country’s nuclear force at the "fastest possible speed," during a nighttime military parade flaunting Pyongyang’s largest-known ballistic missiles.<br /><br />Kim, who has gradually increased regional tensions with several major weapons tests, also warned during a parade speech that any country that attempts military confrontation with North Korea will be destroyed.<br /><br />“The fundamental mission of our nuclear forces is to deter a war, but our nukes can never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent,” Kim said, implying that he could also use the weapons if provoked.<br /><br />The parade, held late Monday in central Pyongyang, was part of North Korea’s celebrations on the anniversary of the founding of the country’s army.<br /><br />Kim has now held four military parades in the past two years. Many analysts say the frequency of the parades could be a sign Kim faces serious domestic problems and wants to bolster political support.<br /><br />State television coverage of the event, which aired late Tuesday, was highly polished by North Korean standards, interspersing sweeping parade drone shots with flashy, pre-produced features highlighting many of the weapons displayed.<br /><br />Kim, whose country is among the world’s poorest, entered the event in what appeared to be a Mercedes-Benz Maybach sedan. He and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, were greeted by throngs of cheering children – a mainstay of propaganda in North Korea, where three generations of Kims have been portrayed as mythical, almost god-like figures.<br /><br />The parade featured some of the country’s most advanced missiles, including the Hwasong-17, its largest-known ICBM that North Korea claims to have tested last month. It was the North’s first long-range missile launch since 2017.<br /><br />North Korea also showed off what it refers to as its “hypersonic” missile. The weapon, tested earlier this year, has a maneuverable warhead that makes it more difficult to intercept, but analysts say it does not likely fly at faster speeds than many ballistic missiles.<br /><br />The only new weapon unveiled at the parade appeared to be a solid-fuel, submarine-launched ballistic missile, which analysts said appeared slightly longer than previous versions.<br /><br />“For all the hype and months of practice, Monday's North Korean military parade didn't really show many novel capabilities,” tweeted Chad O’Carroll, a Seoul-based journalist and founder of the NK News website.
