State media footage showed North Korea may have established a military unit charged with operating new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) following its recent military reform.
Last week, during a nighttime parade, North Korea displayed multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles that are huge enough to target virtually anywhere in the world. According to some observers, the missiles contained a prototype or mockup of a new solid-fuel ICBM with canister launchers.
North Korea's Growing ICBM Threat
A video aired on February 9 by the reclusive nation's official broadcaster and viewed by Reuters on Wednesday revealed a previously unknown flag was attached to the launcher of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), suggesting the military may have created a separate unit to operate the weapons.
Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, stated that the flag "essentially validated the new ICBM unit" and may indicate an upcoming solid-fuel weapon test.
When Kim Jong Un and his family entered the parade location, the new red-gold flag with a black rocket rising into the sky within a circle was also shown among other military banners, as per Reuters via MSN.
Last week, North Korea demonstrated its nuclear capabilities with a military parade exhibiting its ICBMs, which some experts believe to be a prototype of a new solid-fuel ICBM with canister launchers.
The flag, according to a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, "effectively confirmed the new ICBM unit." According to the expert, this new military unit signals that the nation may be prepared to test a solid-fuel missile.
According to WIO News, North Korea has already sent specialized forces flying their flags. In the past, however, all ICBM parades had included the national flag. In the video, a wide variety of flags can be observed at the parade location.
North Korea ICBM Displays
The United States Air Force recently fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from California in the middle of North Korea's unrelenting display of military superiority over the last year. The United States and North Korea are at loggerheads.
Numerous specialized North Korean forces have their flags. ICBMs in earlier military parades were either adorned with the national flag or left unadorned. Another flag was spotted at the march, depicting the enormous ICBM Hwasong-17, which may reach the United States' mainland, NDTV reported.
It was tagged with "2022.11," which may relate to the day the North successfully launched the Hwasong-17 when it began ICBM testing for the first time since 2017 on February 11, 2022.
Kim Jong Un called for the development of additional ICBMs and a greater nuclear arsenal this year to face threats from the United States and its allies, prompting the likely formation of the ICBM unit.
This week, North Korea's official media revealed a reorganization of its Korean People's Force (KPA) and redesign of its banners, stating that the move was in keeping with the country's efforts to "create a formidable army."
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