North Korea's Kim showcases missile capable of reaching US as Trump signals possible meeting — SkimNews
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- Kim Jong Un toured the newly opened Defence Revolution Museum on Sunday with daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju, where the Hwasong-20 ICBM was displayed alongside a multiple warhead design and a range map extending to the Middle East, Australia and South America.
- Donald Trump said on Monday he might meet Kim during his planned Asia trip, with Trump expected to attend the APEC summit in China in mid-November.
- Korea Defence and Security Forum Secretary General Shin Jong-woo said the museum display was propaganda aimed at gaining strategic advantage ahead of a potential North Korea-US summit.
- Kyungnam University professor Lim Eul-chul said Kim is institutionalizing his military achievements by turning what were once temporary weapons exhibitions into a permanent museum, framing the nuclear and missile buildup as a completed and enduring legacy.
- North Korea separately said it test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on Monday to confirm the successful technical upgrade of an unspecified key component, calling it an important step in improving all offensive weapons systems.
- South Korea's military said the Monday launch was Pyongyang's fourth ballistic missile test in a month, following Seoul's recent test of a hypersonic missile.
Why it matters: Kim is enshrining his ICBM achievements in stone at the exact moment Trump floats a third summit, signaling that Pyongyang's nuclear program is now a permanent national monument rather than a negotiating chip. The range map reaching the Middle East, Australia and South America puts more than the US mainland inside Pyongyang's declared footprint, which narrows what any deal at APEC could actually trade away.
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