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6d ago

North Korea Debuts Hwasong-20 ICBM at Party Anniversary Parade as China and Russia Watch

A rare show of Chinese and Russian support signaled tightening ties, even as analysts say the new missile’s true capability is unverified.

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Artists perform during an event marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea October 9, 2025. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and leader of the United Russia political party Dmitry Medvedev attend an event marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea October 9, 2025. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and leader of the United Russia political party Dmitry Medvedev and North Korean Workers' Party director for international affairs Kim Song Nam attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea October 9, 2025. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS

Overview

  • Kim Jong Un oversaw a late-night parade in Pyongyang where state media unveiled the solid-fuel Hwasong-20, calling it the country’s most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.
  • Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s To Lam attended the celebrations and held talks with North Korean leaders in a conspicuous display of diplomatic backing.
  • The Hwasong-20 has not been flight-tested and outside experts question its guidance accuracy and warhead re-entry survivability, though analysts assess it is intended to reach the U.S. mainland and may carry multiple warheads.
  • In his address, Kim urged the military to become an invincible force and offered encouragement to troops serving abroad, while Medvedev lauded North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine and KCNA referenced overseas units in the parade.
  • The showcase of long-range, supersonic and drone-related systems highlighted Pyongyang’s military modernization and a closer alignment with Beijing and Moscow that could weigh on regional diplomacy ahead of the APEC summit in South Korea.