China North Korea shows off new weapon for the first time at major military parade
At the first major military parade in two years, North Korea's state leadership also had the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated for the first time in the capital Pyongyang. In a report, the state news agency KCNA praised the "Hwasong-20" missile, which was presented to international guests, as the "most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system". In a speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called on the armed forces to develop into an "invincible" unit that would destroy "all threats".
11.10.2025, 09:45
SDA
The occasion for the military parade on Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim's grandfather, was the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Among the spectators were China's Prime Minister Li Qiang, Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam. A photo showed the three of them at Kim's side.
Missile should also be able to reach targets in the USA
Other photos of the parade on Friday evening (local time) showed the meter-long "Hwasong-20" rolling past numerous spectators with North Korean flags. The weapon is believed to have a long enough range to hit targets in the USA. As reported by KCNA, the army also presented other weapons systems such as hypersonic missiles.
In his speech, Kim spoke of the "heroic fighting spirit" and the "victory" that the armed forces had achieved on foreign battlefields for international justice and genuine peace. North Korea had initially supplied Russia with missiles and artillery ammunition for its war of aggression against Ukraine and later also sent soldiers - estimated at several thousand men.
Kim seeks the diplomatic stage
The country, which is largely isolated internationally and subject to sanctions, last held a similarly large military parade in 2023. The occasion was the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - North Korea's official name.
As recently as the beginning of September, Kim watched a military parade by the People's Liberation Army alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during one of his rare foreign visits to Beijing. In bilateral talks then and now in Pyongyang, North Korea and its key ally China emphasized their willingness to engage in greater exchange.
