Korean Peninsula
North Korea claims to have tested a missile with a hypersonic warhead
The recording by the North Korean state news agency KCNA says it shows the launch of a solid-fuel medium-range missile (IRBM). The contents of the recording cannot be independently verified.
© KCNA / KNS / DPA
As part of “regular activities for the development of powerful weapons systems,” North Korea said it tested a medium-range missile with a new solid-fuel engine. The test was recorded by South Korea and Japan. The flight distance achieved is based on estimates; no official information was provided.
North Korea is prohibited from conducting missile tests
The test was recorded by South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s military spoke of a suspected medium-range missile. It flew about 1,000 kilometers before falling into the water in the Sea of Japan. South Korea condemned the test as a clear violation of UN resolutions that prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range. Such missiles can be equipped with a nuclear warhead.
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According to North Korean reports, the test was intended to demonstrate the gliding and maneuverability of a hypersonic warhead as well as the reliability of newly developed solid rocket engines. The test was part of “regular activities for the development of powerful weapon systems,” it said. When solid fuel rockets are launched, the advance warning time is shortened.
Tensions are growing on the Korean peninsula
The communist leadership in Pyongyang has been pushing ahead with the development of nuclear-capable missiles for years. North Korea also said it had already tested hypersonic missiles several times. Such weapons are particularly difficult to intercept because they travel more than five times the speed of sound and are maneuverable.
North Korea’s first missile test of the new year came amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has significantly increased the scope of its missile tests in the past two years and increased its rhetoric against the USA and South Korea. The two countries have expanded their military cooperation.