Seoul, South Korea —

Kim Jong Un on Monday watched a test of North Korea’s new high-thrust rocket engine, an event that sets the stage for Pyongyang to test its newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-20, which state media said last week would be powered by the new rocket.

The test comes less than a week after Kim traveled to Beijing for a massive military parade , where he shared the parade stand with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The visit likely left him emboldened to pursue his nuclear weapons program with increased vigor, having reinvigorated ties with his country’s longtime political and economic patron, China, while standing alongside the leader of his new military ally, Russia.

Monday’s test was the ninth and final one

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