Weapons

KN-20 / Hwasong 15 ICBM

After the launch on 28 November 2017, the official DPRK release stated : "Today has finally witnessed the accomplishment of the historic cause of the national nuclear programme, the cause of building a missile power, Kim Jong Un said proudly after viewing the whole process of the test-fire. The resounding success of the test-fire of Hwasong 15 is a priceless victory achieved by the great, heroic Korean people who have faithfully supported the Party's line of pushing economic construction and nuclear buildup simultaneously–with no vacillation despite the vicious challenges of the US and its lackeys and a multitude of difficulties."

Some observers suggested that this suggested a possible diplomatic opening, as the North seemed to be signalling an end to its missile test program. This is a reasonable reading of this rather uncharacteristic rhetoric.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace fellow Zhao Tong said that Pyongyang's achievement may very well force Washington into negotiations. Tong, an expert at the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie's Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, outlined why North Korea's achievements on the path to creating a viable nuclear missile capability could become a powerful argument pushing Washington into talks on ending the regional crisis.