Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a missile research institute for a new high-powered engine for solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), state media reported Tuesday. Kim stated that the engine would be used for the next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBMs during his visit to a research institute affiliated with the Missile Administration on Monday, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
According to Yonhap News Agency, the report emerged just hours after KCNA announced that Kim had departed Pyongyang for Beijing aboard his private train the previous day to attend a military parade in China. The visit to the missile research institute underscores North Korea's ongoing efforts to advance its missile technology, with a particular focus on developing solid-fuel ICBMs.