North Korea has claimed it successfully tested a new weapon showcasing what it described as “ultra-modern defence technology”, with leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch.
The test was carried out on Sunday by North Korea’s Missile Administration, according to state media, which reported the development on Tuesday.
Kim said the test demonstrated a significant improvement in the country’s military capabilities and its ability to prepare for and conduct combat.
He warned that North Korea’s enemies would eventually understand the significance of the country’s military advances without Pyongyang having to explain them.
Kim was quoted as saying the progress would give North Korea’s adversaries “an incurable headache” and deliver a “cruel and unavoidable blow”.
However, North Korean state media did not identify the type of weapon tested.
Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim inspecting a screen displaying a map of North Korea’s east coast and the reported flight trajectory of a weapon designated Hwasongpho-11-ma-1. His teenage daughter was also seen accompanying him during the inspection.
The weapon is believed to be part of a family of short-range ballistic missiles that Pyongyang has been upgrading.
Seoul-based North Korea specialist website NK News reported that the projectile appeared to be an upgraded missile fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle.
Such glide vehicles can manoeuvre during flight, potentially making them more difficult for missile defence systems to intercept. Hypersonic weapons have also been among the advanced military technologies Kim has ordered to be developed as part of North Korea’s efforts to strengthen its nuclear capabilities.
The South Korean military said on Sunday that North Korea had fired two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast.
The latest weapons test came days after Pyongyang accused Washington of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military exercises.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United States met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.
According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, the three countries agreed to maintain close coordination on efforts to promote peace and stability and pursue denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.
