North Korea said Thursday that it had successfully launched a hypersonic ballistic missile.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North Korean state media, the “super-personal gliding warhead” has moved off the rocket booster, moving 120 kilometers (75 miles) laterally and then 700 kilometers (435 miles). Achieved the goal “accurately”.
The test also identified other aspects such as flight control and winter maneuverability, and the missile was able to combine “multi-stage glide jump flight with powerful lateral maneuvering,” KCNA said.
The ruling Labor Party’s central committee has also expressed “great satisfaction” with the results of missile tests observed by major weapons authorities, KCNA also reported.
“The continuous success of test launches in the hypersonic missile sector has strategic importance in accelerating their mission to modernize the nation’s strategic army,” the KCNA report said. rice field. The word “strategic” means that missiles are being developed to transport nuclear weapons.
North Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-un was reportedly not attending the launch on Wednesday, a few days after vowing to strengthen defense at the ruling party last week, amid stagnant denuclearization negotiations.
The launch was flagged by its neighbors Japan and South Korea. North Korea first tested hypersonic missiles in September 2021 to modernize its strategic nuclear weapons system. Its final test was in October 2021, which stated that it had launched a new short-range missile from a submarine.
Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into space before returning to a steep trajectory, hypersonic weapons fly toward low-altitude targets, achieving more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 km / h (3,850 mph). I can do it.
US-led negotiations aimed at promoting denuclearization, including the abandonment of nuclear and ballistic missile weapons, have stagnated since February 2019. Kim and then President Donald Trump were unable to reach an agreement on a dispute over international sanctions against North Korea.
The Biden administration said dialogue with North Korea was always open without preconditions, but authoritarian states negotiated that the United States had “hostile policies” such as military training and sanctions. He previously accused North Korea of having to withdraw. resume.
The United States recently reiterated to North Korea that it had “no hostile intentions.”
The U.S. Department of State said that after North Korea’s launch on Wednesday, North Korea has violated several UN Security Council resolutions and poses a threat to the international community.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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