North Korea released photos and video of its new missile on Thursday, showing what appears to be a larger and more powerful version of its previous top-shelf ICBM, the Hwasong-14.
Analysts have debated whether the new vehicle is enough of a generational improvement to merit the new Hwasong-15 designation North Korea has given it, but a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said his country’s analysis of the photos “showed that there were clear differences between the Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-14 in terms of the looks of the warhead, the joint of the first and second stages of the missile, and overall size.”
Reuters quotes Michael Duitsman of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies agreeing with the South Korean analysis, saying, “This is a very big missile. And I don’t mean ‘Big for North Korea.’ Only a few countries can produce missiles of this size, and North Korea just joined the club.”
“The first stage seems to use essentially the same case but has two engines. The second stage looks like it can carry more than twice as much propellant. The combination of those two things means it really is a new, more capable missile,” said David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists, comparing the new vehicle to the Hwasong-14.
