FIRE POWER
Kim Jong-un unveils sub-launched nuke missile that ‘could blitz any US city’ as he brands America his ‘biggest enemy’
NORTH Korea has unveiled a new submarine-launched nuclear missile it claims is the "world's mightiest weapon".
Four of the enormous black and white rockets - which are still under development - rolled past cheering crowds at a parade in Pyongyang.
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Kim Jong-un, dressed in black leather coat and fur hat, smiled and waved as his military put on a show of strength days before Joe Biden's inauguration.
The parade followed a rare party congress at which Kim admitted his regime's failings and branded America its "biggest enemy".
The new sub-launched ballistic missile is called Pukguksong-5, indicating an upgrade over an earlier version that was unveiled last year.
“The world’s most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missiles, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces,” state news agency KCNA reported.
KCNA said the parade also featured other missiles that could “pre-emptively and completely destroy any enemy outside of our territory”.
Pictures released by state media showed ranks of soldiers goose-stepping through Kim Il-Sung square last night.
They were followed by various rocket launchers, tanks and artillery - and finally the new sub-launched missiles, mounted on lorries.
"New year, new Pukguksong," tweeted North Korea expert Ankit Panda after the pictures emerged.
“The new missile definitely looks longer,” said Michael Duitsman, a researcher at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Its exact specifications were not revealed.
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Experts said the unveiling appeared designed to send a message to incoming Biden administration about the regime's growing military prowess.
"They'd like us to notice that they're getting more proficient with larger solid rocket boosters," Mr Panda tweeted.
He also said the parade showcased what appeared to be new solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles, which can be launched more quickly than liquid-fuelled varieties.
However the parade did not feature North Korea's gigantic intercontinental ballistic missile, which stunned analysts at another parade in October.
Previous tests of North Korea's long-range missiles have shown potential capability to strike deep into the US mainland.
'BIGGEST ENEMY'
The parade came at the end of the eight-day congress of Kim's Workers Party, the first since 2016.
In his opening address, Kim admitted the past five years had been the "worst of the worst" for the impoverished country and acknowledged the government’s economic plans had fallen short in almost every respect.
But he also pledged a major expansion of his nuclear and missile programs to counter what he called hostility from the US.
Kim outlined a list of weapons he wants to acquire including long-range ballistic missiles capable of being launched from land or sea and "super-large warheads".
And he claimed the US was the "biggest obstacle for our revolution and our biggest enemy... no matter who is in power, the true nature of its policy against North Korea will never change".
Kim enjoyed two chummy meetings with Donald Trump before talks broke down with no agreement.
Former Vice-President Joe Biden has called Kim a "thug" and criticised Trump for failing to curb the despot's nuclear capabilities.
North Korea has previously labelled Biden a "rabid dog" that "must be beaten to death with a stick."
Earlier this week Kim claimed his scientists are in the "final stage" of developing a terrifying hypersonic missile capable of destroying several US cities.
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North Korea's successfully tested its first sub-launched rocket, Pukguksong-1, in 2017.
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It is also trying to develop doomsday nuclear-armed subs that could potentially strike anywhere in the world.
Submarine-launched missiles are harder to track and intercept because they can be fired from much closer to the target.
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