The ongoing tussle between the United States and North Korea had peaked to disturbing levels and sent out signals that America could be at the receiving end of some sort of aerial strike. However, Kim Jong-Un preferred to keep the annual celebrations on a quiet note and took the opportunity of using the 105th anniversary of Kim Il-Sung’s birth to showcase the military might of his country.
North Korea displays an array of weapons
According to New York Times, the military hardware put on display by North Korea consisted of at least three types of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) apart from the regular fleet of tanks, missiles and rocket tubes.
The occasion was the most important annual holiday in the country also referred to as the Day of the Sun.
There were apprehensions that, with the eyes of the world focused on it, North Korea might conduct its sixth nuclear test or launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, but better sense appears to have prevailed over Kim Jong-Un, and he disappointed his critics. Instead of any nuclear test, he showcased his missile capabilities for the benefit of Donald Trump, and the most noteworthy element were three types of long-range ballistic missiles out of which one looked to be a new one.
In the opinion of experts, the ICBMs that were exhibited resembled mock-ups of systems that were still under development.
One of the missiles was the KN-08 – this was displayed for the first time in a 2012 parade and is considered to be the country’s first attempt to make an ICBM.
The preference is for solid fuel
From the weapons on display, it is clear that North Korea prefers to go in for solid fuels instead of liquid fuels in its missiles because loading liquid fuel is a time-consuming affair.
Other advantages of solid fuel apart from ease of loading is ease of transportation. Missiles that employ solid fuel can be conveniently be kept on mobile launching pads and concealed in a network of tunnels and be ready for launch at short notice.
Observers have noticed a missile designated as KN-14 which is believed to be a modified version of the KN-08 displayed for the first time in 2015.
At that point, North Korea claimed that its ballistic missiles were designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The reason for the sudden U-turn of Kim Jong-Un is shrouded in mystery, and it could be attributed to some influence exerted by some of the prominent world leaders. He must have understood the futility of his aggressive posture and decided against any confrontation with the United States. Donald Trump had talked about preemptive strikes and had positioned his naval forces in the Korean peninsula, but it has, finally, come to naught.
