[5] Based on information released after the January 2025 test, it was determined that the Hwasong-16B's engine body used a new composite carbon fiber material.
It was unofficially dubbed the "Hwasong-16" as part of the Hwasong missile series, though subsequent analysis of footage indicated that it was officially called Hwasong-17.
[9] In November 2023, North Korea announced static ground tests of rocket motors for a solid-fueled IRBM.
This launch was made with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) payload akin to the one mounted on the Hwasong-8.
[17][18] Carnegie Endowment for International Peace researcher Ankit Panda, described the transition to solid-fuel rockets as a heavily favored play by Kim, noting that "There are obvious strategic advantages to an all-solid-fuel force for them in the form of greater promptness, responsiveness, and survivability,"[18] The launch was condemned by the United Kingdom as a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
[18] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch as "damaging for regional and international peace and stability".
[13] On 26 June 2024, North Korea test-fired a missile using the first stage of Hwasong-16 to test multiple independently-targeted reentry vehicles (MIRVs).