▲ This file photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 9, 2025, shows a test of a high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine using composite carbon fiber material, conducted by North Korea the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

N Korea leader-engine test

N. Korea's Kim oversees ground test of high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine: KCNA

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a ground test of a high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine using a composite carbon fiber material, saying that the test was a part of the North's five-year plan to upgrade its strategic strike capabilities, according to state media Sunday.

Kim oversaw the test of a newly upgraded engine made with composite carbon fiber material, with a maximum thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said without disclosing the date or location of the test.

The test was part of a five-year national defense development plan aimed at the steady upgrading of strategic strike means, the KCNA said, quoting Kim as saying that North Korea's defense capabilities had "entered a significant phase of change in the building of the strategic forces."

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