North Korea says it tested hypersonic missile on Tuesday

Published on : 09/29/2021 – 01:50

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to bolster North Korea’s nuclear arsenal in January. He successfully tested a hypersonic glider missile called Hwasong-8 on Tuesday, the official KCNA agency announced Wednesday (September 29th), which presented the test as a major technological advance.

The success of this test is “of great strategic importance” as Pyongyang seeks to “multiply by a thousand” its defense capabilities, said KCNA who also indicated that the North Korean number one Kim Jong-un had not attended the launch.

Hypersonic missiles are much faster than conventional ballistic or cruise missiles. They are also much more difficult to detect and intercept by missile defense systems, on which the United States spends billions of dollars.

A “comprehensive analysis” of the event by Seoul

The South Korean army had announced the launch of a projectile by the North shortly after detecting it Tuesday morning. But unlike usual, she did not officially disclose the maximum altitude reached by the missile or the distance traveled, information that Seoul generally makes public within the hour.

According to South Korean media, the projectile launched by North Korea on Tuesday had “different flight characteristics” from the previous ones. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called for a “comprehensive analysis” of the event.

The test, carried out from Jagang province in the north of the country, “confirmed the navigation control and stability of the missile” as well as “the maneuverability of its guidance system and the glide characteristics of the missile. ‘detached hypersonic warhead,’ KCNA said.

Pyongyang had already fired several more missiles this month, one involving long-range cruise missiles and another, according to the South Korean military, short-range ballistic missiles.

With AFP and Reuters