North Korea Nuclear and Missile Program

North Korea’s state media said leader Kim Jong Un observed ground tests of an upgraded solid‑fuel rocket engine—made with carbon‑fiber composite materials and rated at about 2,500 kilonewtons of thrust—which Pyongyang framed as part of a five‑year drive to field “strategic strike” weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. South Korean analysts, including Lee Choon Geun, caution Pyongyang withheld key technical data (such as total combustion time), may be exaggerating progress, and still faces major technical hurdles—particularly confirmed flight tests and reliable warhead reentry—before a deployable solid‑fuel ICBM or multiwarhead system is proven.