North Korea says it has tested a hypersonic missile

North Korea’s official KCNA announced on Thursday that North Korea had conducted a test run of a hypersonic missile, Pyongyang’s first test of the year.

KCNA said the missile was launched on Wednesday and carried with a “hypersonic warhead” that can hit a target “precision at a distance of 700 km”.

The KCNA said the missile would “re-establish air control and stability of the missile during the active flight phase and evaluate the effectiveness of the new lateral operating mechanism used in the separated hypersonic warhead”.

The “fuel bulb system in winter weather conditions” test was checked, the company added.

This is the second time North Korea has launched a sophisticated hypersonic missile testifying to advances in its defense sector.

This type of missile is faster and more maneuverable than a standard missile, making it very difficult for security systems to intercept, for which the United States spends billions of dollars.

KCNA did not specify the speed of the missile fired and did not release an estimate from neighboring countries.

Hypersonic missiles typically reach speeds five times faster than Mac 5 or sound.

After the Hwasong-8 test in 2021, the South Korean military estimated the missile to be in its early stages of development.

Depending on their design, supersonic missiles can carry conventional or nuclear weapons and change the strategic balance.

On Wednesday, South Korea and Japan discovered an unidentified missile fired by Pyongyang in the sea east of the peninsula (Sea of ​​Japan or East Sea, according to Korea). Name).

The United States has condemned the shooting, saying it “violates several UN Security Council resolutions and poses a threat to North Korea’s neighbors and the international community.”

State media reported last year that hypersonic missiles were among the “top priorities” of North Korea’s five-year plan.

This first arms test in 2022 follows a year of major tests, despite the severe impact of the epidemic on the country’s economy.

The crisis has not affected military plans and Pyongyang continues to expand its arsenal, according to a UN report released in October.

Concerns have been raised about a severe food crisis, and a UN human rights expert warned in October that the most vulnerable people were “at risk of starvation.”