North Korea unveils submarine-launched ballistic missile in major military parade

Describing it as the “world’s most powerful weapon”, North Korea’s huge military parade on January 14 included a developmental ballistic missile designed for launch from submarines, the state agency reported. The parade reportedly punctuated North Korean leader’s Kim Jong Un’s calls to expand the nuclear weapons program. The Thursday night’s parade celebrated a major ruling party meeting at which Kim pledged to maximize the efforts to bolster nation’s nuclear and missile program to tackle what according to him is the hostility of the United States. 

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The images were released by the Korean Central News Agency on January 15 that showed the North Korean leader wearing a black fur hat and a leather trench coat. Kim was seen smiling and gesturing from the podium as thousands of troops and civilian spectators filled up the  Kim Il-sung Square which is named after his grandfather and the founder of North Korea. The agency reported that the spectators roared as troops rolled out North Korea’s most advanced strategic weapons including submarine-launched ballistic missiles describing it ‘world’s mightiest’.

The military parade also showcased other military hardware that celebrated a major ruling party meeting, reportedly threatening Asian rivals along with American homeland. Thursday night’s event came after the eight-day Workers’ Party Congress ended on Tuesday, January 12. However, the North Korean leader’s remarks are reportedly likely to pressure the incoming US president Joe Biden after negotiations with out-voted Donald Trump derailed over disagreements. 

Meanwhile, Biden has previously called Kim a “thug” and has accused Trump of chasing spectacle rather than meaningful sanctions on the nuclear capabilities of the North. Kim has not completely scrapped the possibility of talks but he has previously said that the fate of the bilateral relations between North Korea and the United States would depend on Washington if it abandons the hostile policy toward Pyongyang. 

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Analysts say US should react 'quickly' to N Korea

Even though North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked his birthday with a lengthy list of new weapons and called the United States “biggest enemy”, analysts believe it was his way to emphasis to the incoming US administration of President-elect Joe Biden to respond quickly. 

As per the BBC report, Ankit Panda, author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb not only said that Biden’s administration should take Kim’s remarks about developing its nuclear program seriously but also noted that North Korean leader’s announcement indicated that failure of quick action by the US “will result in North Korea qualitatively advancing its capabilities in ways deleterious to the US and South Korean interests.”

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Credits for all images: AP