Kim Unveils Hwasong-20 ICBM at New Defence Museum — SkimNews
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- Kim Jong Un visited the newly opened Defence Revolution Museum on Oct 11, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju, where it displayed the Hwasong-20 ICBM that state media KCNA says can reach the United States.
- The Hwasong-20 ICBM exhibit featured a multiple warhead design and a world map depicting ranges extending beyond the US mainland to the Middle East, Australia and South America, according to Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defence and Security Forum.
- North Korea test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on Oct 12 to confirm the successful technical upgrade of an unspecified key component, an important step in improving all offensive weapons systems, KCNA reported without further details.
- South Korea's military reported North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast on Oct 12 — Pyongyang's fourth launch in a month, following Seoul's recent test of a hypersonic missile.
- Donald Trump said the day before the museum report that he might meet Kim during his planned Asia trip, which is expected to include the APEC summit in China in mid-November.
- Analysts said the permanent museum reflects Kim's push to institutionalize military achievements, with Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies calling it a move to portray North Korea's nuclear and missile buildup as "a completed and enduring legacy."
Why it matters: Kim opened a permanent museum showcasing ICBMs capable of reaching the US mainland on Oct 11 — just one day before another round of ballistic missile tests and hours after Trump publicly raised the possibility of a summit. The pairing matters for negotiators: any future talks would begin from a posture where North Korea has codified its missile program as enduring state legacy, not a bargaining chip.
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