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North Korea on Friday said it tested a high-thrust solid-fueled rocket motor that, according to experts, would allow Kim Jong Un to fire ballistic missiles more quickly and reliably.
What Happened: The North Korean state news agency KCNAWatch said the supreme leader oversaw the launch new high-thrust rocket motor that was tested at a satellite launching ground site in Pyongyang, which had earlier been used to test missile technologies.
According to experts, the test signals that North Korea seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and speeds up its nuclear and missile programs.
“That, my friends, is the first stage of a solid propellant ICBM,” said Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Center for Non-proliferation Studies, in a Tweet.
Another expert told CNN that if the new rocket engine could be successfully integrated with an ICBM, it could be a significant development for North Korea.
“If North Korea’s high-thrust solid-fuel motor ground test at Sohae is nearly as successful as they claim, it is a significant step for the country’s nuclear-capable missile development,” said Leif Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
The solid-fueled rockets are more stable than liquid-fueled ones and can be moved more easily and launched quicker than their counterparts. This would reduce the time for North Korean ICBM to react to any adversary.
“Once deployed, the technology would make North Korea’s nuclear forces more versatile, survivable, and dangerous,” Easley said.
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