The Hwasong-20 ICBM was revealed for the first time at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.Published On 11 Oct 202511 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareNorth Korea unveiled its latest and “most powerful” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a military parade presided over by the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.The parade on Friday in the capital Pyongyang featured some of North Korea’s most advanced weapons, including long-range strategic cruise missiles and drone launch vehicles, but special prominence was given to the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which KCNA described as the military’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listMounted on an 11-axle launcher truck for its debut at the parade on Friday, the very existence of the massive Hwasong-20 was only revealed in recent weeks as North Korea tested a new solid-fuel rocket engine that it said was intended for a future generation of ICBMs.State media said the engine, built with carbon fibre, is capable of producing 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust – a measure of propulsive force which is more powerful than earlier North Korean rocket engines.“The Hwasong-20 represents, for the moment, the apotheosis of North Korea’s ambitions for long-range nuclear delivery capabilities. We should expect to see the system tested before the end of this year,” said Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Hwasong-20 at the military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea [KCNA via Reuters]The Hwasong series of ICBMs has given North Korea the capacity to strike long-range targets, but questions remain over the sophistication of its guidance system and the ability of the missile’s warhead payload to withstand atmospheric re-entry. Advertisement Experts believe the Hwasong-20 could be designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads, a capability that Kim has called on his military to develop in order to give his arsenal of missiles a better chance at penetrating enemy defences.“The system is likely designed for the delivery of multiple warheads,” Panda said.“Multiple warheads will increase stresses on existing US missile defence systems and augment what Kim sees as necessary to achieve meaningful deterrence effects against Washington,” he said.Following the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, Kim delivered a speech in which he called North Korea a “faithful member of socialist forces” and “a bulwark for independence” against the threat of the West’s global hegemony, according to KCNA.“Today, we stand before the world as a mighty people wi …
