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North Korea Says Kim Oversees Final Ground Test of High-Thrust Solid-Fuel ICBM Engine

Analysts still doubt that North Korea has proven reliable warhead reentry.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, watches a test of a new rocket engine at an undisclosed location, North Korea, Sep 8, 2025.
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Overview

  • KCNA said Kim supervised Monday’s ground jet firing of a carbon‑fiber solid‑fuel engine rated at 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust.
  • The state report described the event as the ninth and last ground test in the development sequence.
  • North Korea said the engine is intended for future intercontinental missiles, including a next‑generation system called Hwasong‑20.
  • South Korea identified the developer as a chemical materials academy in Hamhung after North Korean media withheld the location.
  • Experts noted the North’s past ICBM flights used steep trajectories and said key reentry performance remains unverified as Pyongyang showcases advances following Kim’s recent Beijing appearance with Xi and Putin.