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The North Korean government has boasted of building the “world’s most powerful missile,” claiming it is a game-changing asset in their arsenal. This is a missile which they
The North Korean government has boasted of building the “world’s most powerful missile,” claiming it is a game-changing asset in their arsenal. This is a missile which they recently paraded in Pyongyang and which, they said, is capable of reaching ranges that no similar weapon has ever reached, with a heavy payload. Yet for all that, military specialists and analysts still insist that the huge size is what makes this missile unrealistic to use in real fights and therefore questions the strategic capability which the North Koreans are trying to achieve with this missile.
Boastful Display of North Korean Missile Capabilities State media called the missile a “monument to our revolutionary advancements” and described it as the world’s longest-range and heaviest-payload missile. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly attended the unveiling and extolled the missile as a powerful and technologically advanced device, framing it as the symbol of the nation’s growing might and independence from foreign influence. The missile is reportedly part of North Korea’s strategic push to solidify its position as a military power on the world stage.
Television footage and images from a recent military parade showed the missile towering over other armaments on display in Pyongyang, even outmatching its most advanced ICBMs. According to officials from North Korea, that could put the theoretical range at any point on the United States mainland.
However, some military experts are skeptical about the missile’s real military usefulness, regardless of the North Korean statements. To most analysts, the rocket appears too large in size, threateningly looking, that is perfect for political advertising but practically useless in real life. According to John Pike, the prominent defense analyst, director of GlobalSecurity.org, “Dimensions make the missile cumbersome and too vulnerable in combat conditions.”.
“Missiles of this size are cumbersome to transport, deploy, and hide, thus rendering them as sitting ducks for enemy forces,” explained Pike. “In a real-world conflict, a large missile of this kind would face serious problems with mobility and could be easily detected and neutralized before launch.”
Large fuel requirements for such a missile would mean hours-long pre-launch preparations, thus making it vulnerable to first-strike retaliation. Since most other nations now have access to advanced satellite tracking, analysts consider such a large-size missile comparatively easy both to track and intercept.
North Korea’s “world’s strongest missile” could be more of a weapon of psychological warfare than a useful military asset to other analysts. While brandishing such an imposing weapon, North Korea may be projecting an image of power with such arms and instilling caution or fear among its adversaries, especially the United States and South Korea.
The impracticability of this missile for real-world deployment notwithstanding, this is a telling statement that North Korea will continue to prove it is a force with which to be reckoned,” said Professor Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst specializing in Korean affairs. “It’s more of a tactic for psychological deterrence against foreign intervention than it is as a credible military threat.
This aligns with the view that such large and imposing missiles are symbolic, developed and paraded for reasons other than strategic purposes. It has paraded weaponry in the past that many experts believed would be unwieldy to use under wartime conditions in its effort to boost domestic pride and project an image of invincibility to the world.
While the missile may not be practical, its existence is a contributor to regional tensions. North Korea’s increasing missile program has gained repeated condemnation from the international community-most of all because such actions run in defiance of United Nations sanctions on weapons testing. Neighboring nations-particularly South Korea and Japan-have answered North Korea’s display of recent force with additional defense measures and diplomatic pressure placed on Pyongyang.
The U.S. Department of State has made it very clear that North Korea should stop working on missiles and come back to the negotiating table, or it will face further isolation because of its advancements. To which North Korea has replied continuously that such military expansions are necessary for its defense against foreign aggression.
Aside from all the international implications, the unveiling of North Korea’s largest missile is likely to bolster domestic morale. Growing increasingly dependent upon displays of military strength as economic challenges worsen, and with mounting international isolation, Kim Jong-un has used such shows to knit internal support.
For the people of North Korea, however, the missile is the most powerful symbol yet of national pride, firmly stamping in their minds the image of a robust and independent nation capable of defending itself against rich adversaries. Experts said such displays are used by Kim’s government as it steers home messages of unity and strength vital to sustain loyalty within a regime.
It is a pointer that international sanctions or diplomatic pressure will not keep the North Korean ambition for a large arsenal in check. Whether or not the “world’s strongest missile” becomes a functional military asset, it has proved that North Korea is pretty serious about improving its missile technology in order to keep the international community on its toes.
This could, therefore, against the growing complexity of global security dynamics, especially in East Asia, where a series of North Korean tests and unveilings with ever-larger, more advanced missiles have been seen, might make regional neighbors increase their defense spending and strengthen regional alliances to balance the perceived threat.
Although the newest missile of North Korea may be impracticable as a war weapon, it is its symbolic power and roles under the broader geopolitical context that make it important. The development means a turn in the international community’s diplomatic response to strategic deterrence, given consideration to the intention of a country that can dispose of operational effectiveness for symbolism.
