Tensions between North and South Korea have been increasing for several months. Pyongyang repeatedly provokes by firing ballistic missiles. Now the country of ruler Kim Jong Un announces the test of a solid fuel engine for a "new weapon system".
North Korea says it is developing solid fuel technology for its missile program. According to the state news agency KCNA, quoted by the South Korean media, the country, which is largely isolated internationally, has tested a solid fuel engine with high thrust.
The test represents the "guarantee for the development of another new type of strategic weapon system," it said. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, experts suspect that the North wants to use the engine test to advance the technologies for the development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with solid fuel. Solid-fuel rockets can be rolled out of a hangar or tunnel ready for launch and do not require refueling - greatly reducing the time for timely detection of the rockets by satellites.
The conflict on the Korean peninsula has become significantly more explosive in recent months. North Korea's military has been firing ballistic missiles at increased frequency and has also intensified its rhetoric against the Seoul government. Last week, Pyongyang fired more than 130 artillery shells toward the sea. The reason for this is joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States, the KCNA news agency reported, citing a spokesman for the General Staff of the People's Army.
Some experts suspect that North Korea could soon carry out another nuclear test. UN resolutions prohibit the country from carrying out nuclear tests and testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on the design, can be equipped with nuclear warheads.
