SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – During a military parade on Thursday night, North Korea displayed a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), bringing to an end a week-long party meeting with a show of military might.
Dressed in a leather coat and fur hat, leader Kim Jong Un smiled and waved during the parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, showed photos that appeared on state media.
During the parade, there were rows of marching soldiers and a range of military hardware such as tanks and rocket launchers were displayed.
Towards the end of the parade, new variants of short-range ballistic missiles and SLBMs were displayed on special vehicles.
“The world’s most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missiles, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces,” according to news agency KCNA.
According to analysts, North Korea has test-fired several SLBMs from underwater and the nation is seeking to develop an operational submarine to carry the missiles.
Photos show the SLBM labelled as Pukguksong-5. It is an upgrade compared to the Pukguksong-4, which was unveiled during a similar parade in October last year.
“The new missile definitely looks longer,” Michael Duitsman, a researcher at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said on Twitter.
Compared to the October parade, the parade on Thursday did not display North Korea’s largest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and they can deliver a nuclear warhead to any target in the US.