World War III? North Korea President ready to face battle with America

North Korea unveiled what appeared to be new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) at its Day of the Sun parade, amid increasing fears its trying to develop a model that could hit the United States. North Korea showed two new kinds of ICBM enclosed in canister launchers mounted on the back of transporter erector launcher trucks, or TELs. The larger missile was similar in appearance to the Chinese DF-41, which can fly 9,000 miles. If the Korean missiles actually work, and have a similar range to the Chinese missile, they could hit the continental US. But it's very unlikely that North Korea has that technology at this stage. Also on show for the first time was the North's submarine launch ballistic missiles (SLBM).

Kim Jong Un kicked off the parade commemorating the 105th anniversary of his late grandfather's birthday and rolled out a military arsenal that also included submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), which also made their debut on Saturday. Tensions have been mounting in recent weeks, and North Korea has issued several warnings threatening to 'pulverize' US troops and retaliate in response to any military action. The new prototypes suggests Pyongyang is working towards a 'new concept' of ICBM, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the U.S.-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. 'However, North Korea has a habit of showing off new concepts in parades before they ever test or launch them,' Hanham said. 'It is still early days for these missile designs'. North Korean state television also showed what appeared to be several KN-08 and KN-14 ICBMs. Kim, who took power in late 2011, emphasizes nuclear weapons as the foundation of his national defense strategy. And the arsenal showcased on Saturday suggest the country has been plowing ahead with its goal of putting a nuclear warhead on an ICBM that can strike the US, although the North has yet to flight test them. In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that North Korea's preparations for an ICBM launch have 'reached the final stage.' And U.S. satellite imagery suggests the country could also conduct another underground nuclear test at any time. North Korea conducted two such tests last year alone, which analysts say would have taken the country a step forward in gaining the knowledge to make nuclear weapons small enough to fit on long-range missiles. The North also launched a long-range rocket last year that put a satellite into orbit, which Washington, Seoul and others saw as a banned test of missile technology.