North Korea displays its ICBM capabilities in largest-ever military parade

Asia-Pacific, News February 11, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korean military displayed almost a dozen of advance Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) in one of its largest military parades on February 8, 2023. Experts say that this was the largest show of power that Pyongyang has put up in ages.

The North Korean government and military arrange frequent parades in order to showcase its weapons and military might. The recent military parade was no exception as its shored up domestic support for the North Korean military programs while sending a signal to the United States, South Korea, and others. The parade was organized by the North Korean military to mark the founding anniversary of the North Korean army.

Described as a show of Pyongyang’s ‘nuclear attack capability’ by the state-owned media outlet, the parade featured more than 10 Hwasong-17 ICBMs. Besides the ICBMs, North Korean state media said the parade featured tactical missiles and long-range cruise missiles parading through Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung square. Country’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un observed the parade accompanied by his high-ranked military officials, his wife, and a young girl believed to be his daughter.

The parade was followed by a lavish banquet a night earlier at which Kim was accompanied by his wife and the girl believed to be his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. The Kim family has been in power in North Korea since the country was founded. Appearances by Kim’s daughter have become more frequent in recent times sparking a debate about the succession of the country’s leadership.

Pictures published by state media showed the girl walking next to Kim and her mother as they entered the venue for the banquet while military officers applauded. At the banquet, the girl was seated in the center of the lead table between Kim and her mother.

^{North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army the following day, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 7, 2023, in this photo released February 8, 2023, by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Image Credit: KCNA/via Reuters)}

North Korea expanded its missile tests and nuclear attack capabilities exponentially last year. In 2020, North Korea conducted four missile tests. In 2021, it doubled that number. However, in 2022 North Korean military fired more missiles than any other year on record, at one point launching 23 missiles in a single day.

North Korea fired more than 90 cruise and ballistic missiles in the year 2022 as experts warn of a potential nuclear test on the horizon. Of the more than 270 missile launches and nuclear tests by North Korea since 1984, more than a quarter came in 2022 while more than three-quarters of these tests have been recorded since King Jong Un came to power.

In November 2022, Kim said that his country aims to become the world’s strongest nuclear force. Kim’s statement came on November 27, 2022, during a ceremony where he promoted dozens of North Korean military officers who were involved in the launch of a new ballistic missile. North Korea’s parliament has also passed a law to strengthen its nuclear doctrine, enshrining the right to “automatically” use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself.