DPRK leader inspects ICBM rocket engines, warhead tips producing institute

PYONGYANG, Aug. 23  — Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has inspected a solid-fuel rocket
engines and rocket warhead tips, including those for intercontinental
ballistic missiles (ICBM), design and producing institute dedicated to the
country’s missile program, said official media Wednesday.

The Korean Central News Agency said Kim gave field guidance to the Chemical
Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science without specifying the
date of the inspection. Usually news about the top leader is reported one
day after it takes place by DPRK official media. “He noted that in recent
years the institute has a lot of jobs in a patriotic drive for breaking
through the cutting edge true to the Workers’ Party of Korea’s policy of
attaching importance to the defense science and technology and policy of
the munitions industry,” said the report. Kim also learned about the
processes for manufacturing ICBM warhead tip and solid-fuel rocket engine
and made a field survey of the process for manufacturing solid-fuel rocket
engine and specified tasks and ways for normalizing the production at a
higher level, said the report. “He instructed the institute to produce more
solid-fuel rocket engines and rocket warhead tips by further expanding
engine production process and the production capacity of rocket warhead
tips and engine jets by carbon/carbon compound material,” said the report.
The DPRK has a large coal mining industry which produces carbon and carbon
compound material whose advanced products are believed to be capable of
replacing heavy oil fuels used for launching rockets and missiles by other
countries. The DPRK conducted two ICBM test firings last month which its
says will be self-defense deterrence against the United States. – XINHUA