North Korea displays biggest long-range missile array

(BBC) ⸻ North Korea has shown its largest display ever of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), a number analysts say could potentially challenge the US' defence system. Leader Kim Jong-un was seen at the midnight parade with his young daughter elevated to his side, sparking speculation she's being positioned as the successor. Pictures published by North Korean media on Thursday morning appeared to show more than a dozen ICBMs rolling through the central square of Pyongyang, accompanied by an army of foot solders. Some North Korea analysts said the display also included a new ICBM launcher which appeared to design to accommodate a solid-fuel missile. Solid-fuel missiles can be launched more quickly than liquid-fuel missiles, but have never successfully tested long-range solid-fuel missiles. Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the expansion of North Korea's ICBM arsenal presented potentially "serious military planning challenges" for the US in a conflict. The parade comes after a record year of missile testing by North Korea in breach of UN economic sanctions, leading to several flare-ups of tensions on the Korean peninsula. The elevation of Ju-ae, a 10-year-old North Korean girl, has been a key talking point for observers. State media photographs showed her taking centre stage at a pre-parade banquet with military leaders, where she was seated in the centre between her father Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol Ju. Ju-ae is believed to be his second child and only made her first public appearance in public three months ago in November, when her father took her to the launch of a major ICBM launch. Some analysts believe this points to Ju-ae as Mr Kim's heir apparent, while others suggest the state may be portraying the North Korean leader as a "family man". Ju-ae's prominence in recent months could indicate that Kim expects his country's nuclear enterprise to become a multi-generational affair.