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A new 300mm multiple rocket launcher (KN-9)

In the military review held on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Workers’ Party, North Korea made public a number of new weapons, including an upgraded version of the KN-08 mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a new 300mm multiple rocket launcher. But since all of these had been predicted, North Korea appears to have opted not to raise military tensions.

The upgraded KN-08 ICBM appeared in North Korea’s military parade, which was broadcast live on Oct. 10 by North Korea’s Korean Central Television. While this missile is thought to have a range of 12,000 km, which would include the US west coast, its actual range could be different.

When this missile was first made public in a military parade commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung in 2012, the warhead was pointed, but the improved warhead on the missile that appeared in this military parade was rounded.

“A series of powerful strategic missiles equipped with diversified and miniaturized nuclear warheads are passing by,” Korea Central Broadcasting, a radio broadcast intended for domestic use in North Korea, said, while the upgraded KN-08 was passing by in the military review. This remark did not appear on Korean Central Television, however, which runs stories meant for overseas viewers.

“On overseas broadcasts, North Korea bore in mind how it would look to other countries and refrained from provocative language, putting the focus on a festive atmosphere rather than a show of force,” South Korea’s Unification Ministry concluded.

“Since it is still unclear whether the KN-08 that appeared in the review was the real thing, we should not jump to a rash conclusion about whether it can be equipped with a nuclear warhead either,” said a South Korean military officer.

On Saturday, North Korea also made public a new 300mm multiple missile launcher for the first time.

“North Korea has currently finished development on the 300mm multiple missile launcher, which it produced in imitation of a Chinese model. We believe that the weapon‘s maximum range is 140km, which includes the Seoul area,” South Korean military officers said.

An infantry unit marched in the military review wearing backpacks that had the nuclear symbol on them, which also appeared in a military review in 2013 marking the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

“Given North Korea’s level of nuclear development, it‘s more likely that the backpacks in question contain protective equipment such as hazmat suits rather than weaponry for an attack,” a South Korean military officer said.

North Korea did not reveal the submarine-launched ballistic missile - called Bukgeukseong, meaning “North Star” - which it launched from a submarine earlier this year.

Around 20,000 soldiers and 100,000 civilians were mobilized for the military review, according to South Korean government estimates. “While more soldiers took part than in the military review on the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Kim Il-sung in 2012, there appear to have been fewer weapons on display,” the government said.

The South Korean military said that around 290 weapons in about 30 categories appeared in the military review, including attack drones, older T-34 tanks, Scud, Rodong, and Musudan ballistic missiles, and the Sukhoi Su-25 fighter, but the majority of these weapons had been shown in public before.

“The weapons that appeared in this year’s military review did not exceed the level of previous years. North Korea appears to have decided not to showcase new weaponry such as the submarine-launched ballistic missile out of concern for its relationships with China and other countries,” a government source said.

The South Korean military thinks it unlikely that North Korea will launch a long-range missile or carry out a nuclear test for the time being.

“We think that North Korea could do a launch test of the submarine-launched ballistic missile, which would be one step above the ejection test that took place this past May, and we are keeping a careful watch on movements there,” the military said.

By Kim Ji-hoon, staff reporter

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