North Korea has announced the launch of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile equipped with a hypersonic warhead, claiming it can “reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region.”
This missile test, which occurred on Monday—Pyongyang’s first in two months—coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Seoul for discussions with South Korean leaders. Hypersonic weapons are challenging to track and intercept, as they travel at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound.
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North Korea asserts the missile reached speeds 12 times the speed of sound and travelled approximately 1,500km. However, South Korea’s military reported the missile flew 1,100km before crashing into the sea, strongly condemning it as a “clear act of provocation.”
This is not North Korea’s first test of hypersonic missiles. Photos released by KCNA show that Monday’s missile resembles one launched last April. However, Pyongyang claims this new missile features an advanced “flight and guidance control system” and a carbon-fiber engine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated that the missile launch “clearly showed the rivals what we are doing” and emphasized Pyongyang’s readiness to defend its “legitimate interests by any means necessary,” according to state news agency KCNA.
Ankit Panda, a nuclear weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that the missile launch was expected, as North Korea has been working with composite materials to improve missile performance for years. Such materials aim to enhance the payload’s reliability and survivability.
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While hypersonic weapons are not new, recent advancements have made them more agile, capable of re-entering the atmosphere faster, and able to conduct evasive manoeuvres, according to the Centre for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. Although these weapons can be tracked by space-based sensors, there is technology to intercept them during their final flight phase, when they slow down after traveling through the atmosphere.
During his visit to Seoul, Blinken warned that Russia might soon share advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea, and that Moscow could recognize Pyongyang as a nuclear power, potentially reversing its decades-long stance on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
In Seoul, Blinken reaffirmed the US-South Korea alliance, calling it the “cornerstone of peace and stability” on the peninsula. South Korea’s military has stepped up surveillance for future North Korean missile tests and is sharing information with the US and Japan.
The missile launch comes amid political turmoil in South Korea following the controversial martial law attempt by suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon, who faces impeachment and potential arrest, has been criticized for his actions, with North Korea mocking his declaration of martial law as “insane.”
North Korea remains one of the most repressive states globally, ruled by Kim Jong Un and his family for decades in a dictatorial dynasty. The last missile test from Pyongyang occurred in November, a day before the US presidential election, when North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.
In the preceding days, the US had conducted joint military drills with South Korea and Japan, flying long-range bombers, which provoked criticism from Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong.
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