SEOUL: North Korea said Tuesday it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) tipped with a hypersonic warhead, saying that the weapons system will reliably help deter its enemies in the Pacific region.
North Korea said the missile flew some 1,500 kilometres at the velocity of 12 times the speed of sound the previous day during the testing guided by leader Kim Jong Un, Yonhap news agency reported, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” the KCNA said.
The South Korean military said Monday it detected the launch of an IRBM from the Pyongyang area and the missile flew about some 1,100 kilometres before falling into the East Sea.
The North’s latest missile launch, the first provocation in about two months, came about two weeks before United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump took office on Jan 20.
It also came amid political turmoil in South Korea sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law imposition last month and his subsequent impeachment by the National Assembly.
A hypersonic missile is typically hard to intercept with existing missile defence shields. It travels at a speed of at least Mach 5 and is designed to be manoeuvrable on unpredictable flight paths and fly at low altitudes. – BERNAMA-YONHAP
