North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful flight test of a hypersonic missile he claimed would remarkably increase country's nuclear "war deterrent."The report by North Korean state media on Wednesday came a day after militaries of United States, South Korea and Japan said they detected North Korea firing a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern sea.
The Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday's launch involved a hypersonic glide vehicle, which after its release from rocket booster demonstrated "glide jump flight" and "corkscrew maneuvering" before hitting a sea target 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away.Photos released by agency showed a missile mounted with a pointed cone-shaped payload soaring into sky while leaving a trail of orange flames and Kim watching from a small cabin with top officials.
The launch was North Korea's second test of its purported hypersonic missile in a week, a type of weaponry it first tested in September, as Kim continues a defiant push to expand his nuclear weapons capabilities in face of international sanctions, pandemic-related difficulties and deadlocked diplomacy with United States. The North has been ramping up its testing activity since last fall in what experts see as an attempt to apply more pressure on rivals Washington and Seoul to accept it as a nuclear power in hopes of winning relief from economic sanctions.
The KCNA said Kim praised accomplishments made by his military scientists and officials involved in developing hypersonic missile system, which he described as most significant part of a new five-year plan announced in early 2021 to build up North's military force.The North has described new missile as part of its "strategic" weaponry, implying that system is being developed to deliver nuclear weapons.
Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times speed of sound, could pose a crucial challenge to missile defence systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Such weapons were on a wish-list of sophisticated military assets Kim unveiled early last year along with multi-warhead missiles, spy satellites.solid-fuel long-range missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.
