Kim Jong Un Attends and Guides IRBM Hwaso’ng-10 Test

Kim Jong Un and senior Workers’ Party of Korea and Korean People’s Army personnel celebrate after the second test launch of the Hwaso’ng-10 (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un’s last observed appearance was his visit to the Kim Cho’ng-suk Textile Mill in Pyongyang

Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) observed and guided the test firing of the intermediate range missile [IRBM] Hwaso’ng-10 (a/k/a Musudan) on the morning of June 22 (Wednesday).  Also in attendance for the missile test were Ri Man Gon (Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Vice Chairman for and Director of Munitions [machine-building] Industries, Member of the WPK Political Bureau, Member of the WPK Central Military Commission and Member of the WPK Executive Policy Council), Ri Pyong Chol (Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department and alternate [candidate] member of the WPK Political Bureau), Yu Jin (deputy director of the WPK Munitions [machine-building] Industries Department), Kim Jong Sik (deputy director of the WPK Munitions [machine-building] Industries Department) and General Kim Rak Gyom (head of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] Strategic Force Command).

Attending the test with Kim Jong Un were: General Kim Rak Gyom [a], Yu Jin [b], Kim Jong Sik [c], Ri Pyong Chol [d], Ri Man Gon [e] (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Rotated unretouched and unedited image of the map on Kim Jong Un’s desk in the observation post (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Photos from the bottom left of page one of the June 23, 2016 edition of WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun depict Kim Jong Un in front of a TEL used in the June 22 missile test and Jong Un interacting with senior WPK Munitions Industry Department and KPA Strategic Force personnel (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

At the observation post, Jong Un “gave an order to conduct the missile test-fire after hearing a report on its plan” and the “test-fire of Hwaso’ng-10 was carried out by the high-angle fire system under the simulation of its maximum range.”  According to KCNA and KCBS the “ballistic missile took off a self-propelled launching ramp and accurately landed in the targeted waters forward 400 km [248.54 miles] after flying to the maximum height of 1, 413.6 km [878.37 miles] along planned flight orbit.”

Photos from the bottom right of page one of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun show the test of the Hwaso’ng 10 (Musudan) IRBM and Kim Jong Un watching the test from an observation post (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

The Hwaso’ng-10 (Musudan) test “confirmed the flying kinetic feature of a Korean-style ballistic missile with an updated system and its safety and control as well as the technical specifications of newly-designed rocket structure and its dynamic system” and “verified the heat-resistance capability of warhead in the re-entry section and its flight stability…providing a sure sci-tech guarantee for developing the system of strategic weapons.” DPRK state media underscored that the “test-fire was successfully conducted without giving any slightest effect to the security of surrounding countries.”

Photos from the top left of page 2 of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun show the Hwaso’ng-10 (Musudan) IRBM and Kim Jong and senior WPK and KPA personnel celebrating the second successful test firing (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Jong Un expressed “great satisfaction over the test results” and said joyfully “this happy news would give the conviction in the sure victory and optimism to the army and people of the DPRK and that it is a great event as it strikingly demonstrated again the invincible might of Chuch’e Korea.  Not only the enemy but also the whole world may properly assess the capability of the DPRK media long-range strategic ballistic missiles only with its flight track.”

Photos from the top right of page 2 of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun show the Hwaso’ng-10 (Musudan) IRBM and Kim Jong and senior WPK and KPA personnel celebrating the second successful test firing (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

He declared “with conviction” that “we have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the Americans in the Pacific operation theater.  To reliably defend the security of the country and its people from the constant threats of the US and other hostile forces we should have the powerful offensive means to pose a constant threat to the enemy.  It is needed to increase in a sustained way our preemptive nuclear attack capability and continue the study and development of diverse strategic attack weapons.”

Kim Jong Un embraces Ri Pyong Chol, senior deputy director in the WPK Central Committee, alternate member of the WPK Political Bureau and Member of the DPRK National Defense Commission (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Photos from the bottom left of page 2 of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun show Kim Jong Un, senior DPRK officials and test personnel celebrating the successful of the Hwaso’ng-10 (Musudan) IRBM test (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Kim Jong Un remarked that “the real foe of our nuclear force has to confront is a nuclear war itself” and stress was placed that “the nuclear attack capability should be steadily bolstered up to protect the country and its people and the Korean revolution from the US imperialists’ nuclear threat.”  Jong Un said that the “current test-fire marked an important occasion in further strengthening the nuclear attack capacity of our states” and stressed “the need to more thoroughly establish the unitary leadership and management over the strategic nuclear force.”

Photos from bottom right of page 2 of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun show the Hwaso’ng-10 (Musudan) IRBM test and Kim Jong Un greeting personnel involved in the test (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Photos from the bottom of page 2 of the June 23, 2016 edition of the WPK daily newspaper depict the Hwaso’ng-10 IRBM test (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Commemorative photo taken of Kim Jong Un, senior DPRK officials and personnel involved in the missile test (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un, to mark the “successful test-fire of the surface-to-surface medium long-range strategic ballistic missile Hwaso’ng-10” posed for commemorative photos with the KPA Strategic Force, KPA Artillery Command, Second Economic Committee and Second Academy of Natural Sciences personnel involved in the test.

Filed under: "self-development first" slogan, 2015 KPA Promotions, 2016 IRBM test, 2016 Strategic Rhetoric, 2nd Academy of Natural Science, Ballistic Missile Guidance Bureau, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, Central Party Affairs/Cadres 5th Section, Col. Gen. Kim Rak Gyom (SRFC), colonel general, Comprehensive Affairs, corps commanders, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK External Relations, Events Management Section, Executive Policy Bureau, Five Year Economic Plan and Development Strategy (2016), Gen. Ri Pyong Chol, General Affairs, gsob, Guard Command, Hwasong-10 tests, Information Section, Kim Chong-un inspections, Kim Family, Kim Jong Sik, Kim Jong Sik (missile expert; Strategic Command; MBID), Kim Jong Un Visits, Kim Jong-un, KJI Personal Secretariat, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean People's Internal Security Forces, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA East Command Zone, KPA General Staff, KPA Strategic Rocket Force Command, kpif, KWP Science and Education Department, Machine Building Industry Department, Military Affairs, military security command [msc], ministry of people's security, Ministry of State Security, Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (MPAF), Musudan IRBM, National Academy of Defense Sciences, National Defense Commission (NDC), NDC Administration Department, North Korean press, Notification, nuclear weapons, Organization and Guidance Department, PAD Guidance Section, Political Bureau, primary party committees, Ri Man Gon (N. P'yo'ngan WPK PC), road mobile ballistic missile, Second Economic Committee, Second Economy Commission, State Academy of Sciences, State Security Department, TEL, Yu Jin