Faster rockets, more warheads: What North Korea could gain from new weapons development

FILE PHOTO: A view of the newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15's test that was successfully launched is seen in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang November 30, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - If North Korea returns to long-range missile launches or other weapons tests in 2020, its military could make valuable technical advances and gain experience alongside whatever political message is sent to Washington.

This week North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that the world would soon see his country's "new strategic weapon" and that there was no longer reason for Pyongyang to be bound by a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.