SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a missile research institute on Monday, right before his departure for Beijing to attend a military parade in China.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim inspected "the relevant institute of the General Academy of Chemical Materials under the Missile Administration of the DPRK" on September 1 and met composite carbon fiber material researchers. KCNA said the institute produced a "high-thrust solid-fuel engine with the composite carbon fiber material and verified the credibility of the operation of the engine and its accuracy through eight static firing tests in the past two years."
Pyongyang said that the "new-type solid-fuel engine" will be used in "the next-generation ICBM Hwasongpho-20" as well as in the "ICBM Hwasongpho-19." North Korea's latest test was conducted on October 31 last year with the Hwasong-19. The missile is believed to be capable of striking the entire U.S. mainland with a range exceeding 15,000 kilometers, and Russia may have provided Pyongyang with technical assistance in developing such engines.
Kim's visit to the institute reportedly took place shortly before his multilateral diplomatic debut at the parade, seen as an effort to underscore North Korea's status as a self-proclaimed "nuclear weapons state" with missiles capable of targeting the U.S.
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