North Korea tests powerful new ICBM engine

STORY: According to state media, North Korea has successfully tested a new missile engine in what experts say is a turning point in the country’s development of powerful new ballistic missiles.

The "high-thrust solid-fuel engine" was tested on Thursday (December 15), under the watchful eye of leader Kim Jong Un, the country’s official KCNA news agency reports.

North Korea, which has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles, has said it was "the first of its kind" in the country.

Solid-fuel missiles are more stable and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time, as Professor of North Korean studies Kim Dong-Yub explains.

"Compared to liquid-propellant weapons, a solid-fuel engine doesn’t need additional fuel injections or particular places to fuel up once it has been made. It's optimised for ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles because it is easier to conceal and store. It allows for a quicker launch."

“In 2016, North Korea tested a solid-fuel engine on a smaller scale. After this succeeded, it also launched submarine-launched ballistic missiles within a year. So considering the period, this test would allow them to make real missiles with this solid-fuel engine, and there is a high possibility they will test-fire the missile within a year at most.”

Developing a solid-fuel ICBM was among the North's five military tasks rolled out at its key party meeting last year.

North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, despite international bans and sanctions.

The latest test comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is in Seoul for talks with South Korean officials during which he vowed an all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear program.

South Korean and U.S. officials have said the North has completed preparations for a potential nuclear test, which would be the first since 2017.