DPRK’s Kim Jong Un oversees final solid-fuel ICBM engine test
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DPRK leader Kim Jong Un hails a milestone as Pyongyang completes its final solid-fuel ICBM engine test, paving the way for a full launch soon.
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In this photo provided by DPRK, leader Kim Jong Un, right, watches a test of a new rocket engine at an undisclosed location, DPRK, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has personally supervised a test of a solid-fuel engine designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday. The trial, described as the ninth and final in the development phase, signals that a full test launch of a new long-range missile could take place in the coming months.
Images published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Kim observing the fiery blast of the engine with binoculars. One photo captured a red horizontal flame, evidence of what KCNA called a “ground jet test of high-thrust solid-fuel engine using the composite carbon fiber material,” which it said marked “the last one in the development process.”
Kim hailed the achievement as a milestone for the country’s weapons program. The new rocket engine, he said, “heralds a significant change in expanding and strengthening the nuclear strategic forces” of the DPRK. The announcement comes just a week after Pyongyang unveiled the Hwasong-20, billed as its next-generation intercontinental missile.
Wider context
Kim’s test followed his high-profile trip to Beijing, where he stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a military parade marking Japan’s World War II surrender. The optics reinforced the emerging alignment between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang at a time of heightened global tensions.
Solid-fuel missiles have long been a goal for the DPRK, given their ease of transport, concealment, and rapid launch compared with liquid-fuel rockets.
By using lighter carbon-fiber components, Pyongyang aims to extend range and durability. “By securing both lightweight and thermal durability, it demonstrates the domestic development of essential materials for the extended range,” said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
It is worth noting that the country has repeatedly declared that its nuclear weapons are not up for negotiation. In August, it dismissed calls from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for a “path to denuclearisation,” branding him a “hypocrite". The DPRK reiterated, “The North would remain unchanged in our stand not to abandon the nuclear weapons, the prestige and honor of the state.”
