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Experts: N. Korea Tested an Engine, Possibly for a Long-Range Missile

Christy Lee

   WASHINGTON - Experts say North Korea appeared to have conducted a fuel
   engine test on the ground, potentially for a long-range missile, in
   what Pyongyang claimed as "the test of great significance."

   Michael Elleman, director of the Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
   Program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS),
   said it is safe to assume North Korea conducted "a static engine test"
   but cannot conclude the type of engine tested based on currently
   available information.

   A static engine test means the engine was tested on the ground with a
   missile component but without launching an actual missile into the air.

   "The size of the engine, whether it was based on liquid or solid fuel,
   or the success of the test are impossible to know without more
   evidence, photographs," said Elleman. He added that it is also
   difficult to determine if the engine tested was "a new type or a test
   of an existing model."

   North Korea said "a very important test took place at the Sohae
   Satellite Launching Ground" on Saturday afternoon, according to a
   statement issued on Sunday by the country's official [1]Korean Central
   News Agency (KCNA).

   "The results of the recent important test will have an important effect
   on changing the strategic position of the DPRK once again in the near
   future," said a spokesperson for the Academy of the National Defense
   Science of North Korea. The DPRK stands for Democratic People's
   Republic of Korea, North Korea's official English name.

   Pyongyang did not give further details about the weapon it tested.

References

   1. https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1575768668-863049416/statement-of-spokesman-for-academy-of-national-defence-science-issued/

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