APT Opinion: North Korea’s missile program is no longer a regional threat—it is a full-spectrum nuclear force. Tonight, we break down how systems like the Hwasong-20, Hwasong-18, Hwasong-17, and the hypersonic Hwasong-16B have transformed Pyongyang into one of the most heavily armed nuclear states on Earth.<br /><br />For years, Western analysts dismissed North Korea as poor, starving, and technologically backward. But while the world looked elsewhere, Pyongyang built an arsenal that now includes:<br /><br />• Hwasong-20: a massive, 80-ton, solid-fuel ICBM with MIRVs and a possible 15,000 km range<br />• Hwasong-18: a deployed, modern, road-mobile ICBM resembling Russia’s Topol-M<br />• Hwasong-17: heavy liquid-fuel ICBM capable of intercontinental flight<br />• Hwasong-16B: North Korea’s first hypersonic glide-vehicle missile<br />• KN-23, KN-24, KN-25: short-range nuclear-capable tactical systems<br />• Pukguksong-5 SLBMs & the Hero Kim Gun-ok submarine: giving North Korea real second-strike capability<br /><br />All of this under crushing sanctions, with limited industrial capacity—and yet, the results rival the arsenals of much richer nations.<br /><br />North Korea’s goal is simple: build a survivable, diverse, and mobile nuclear shield that makes any regime-change operation impossible. Whether the world likes it or not, Pyongyang has succeeded.<br /><br />Is North Korea now a global nuclear power? Has the world underestimated Kim Jong Un’s arsenal for too long?<br />Tell us what you think in the comments—and subscribe to APT Opinion for more deep geopolitical analysis.
