North Korea tests new hypersonic missile

SEOUL: The projectile North Korea fired off its east coast on Tuesday was a newly developed hypersonic missile, state news media KCNA reported on Wednesday, the latest in a series of new weapons tested by the reclusive state.

North Korea fired the missile towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, as Pyongyang called on the United States and South Korea to scrap their “double standards” on weapons programmes to restart diplomatic talks.

The development of the weapon system increases North Korea’s defence capabilities, KCNA said, describing the hypersonic missile as a “strategic weapon”.

Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories, hypersonic weapons fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km per hour (3,853 miles per hour).

The test could mean the North is joining an accelerating race to deploy the weapon now involving the United States, Russia and China.

North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for US sanctions relief.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not inspect the launch, according to the report.

“In the first test-launch, national defence scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile,” the report said.

It said the missile, called Hwasong-8, performed to its technical targets “including the guiding maneuverability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead.”