Kim Jong Un personally oversaw hypersonic missile test
The Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the target hit the "set target in waters 1,000 km."
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a hypersonic missile test in North Korea on Tuesday (KCNA)
North Korea's state media announced on Wednesday that Kim Jong Un personally oversaw a hypersonic missile test, the second missile launch in less than a week, and the third reported. South Korea's national security council expressed "strong regret over the launch" following an emergency meeting.
The first test was conducted in September, although the KCNA report at the time said Kim was not present.
According to the official Korea Central News Agency KCNA, the missile carrying a "hypersonic gliding vehicle" reached "the specified target in waters 1,000 kilometers" distant.
Images were uploaded on the Worker's Party official site showing the North Korean leader overseeing the test with binoculars from his viewing platform. Other photos showed the rocket launching in a flash of fire and smoke with Kim studying charts with uniformed officials.
The KCNA report stated that "the superior maneuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle was more strikingly verified through the final test-fire."
The US, Russia, and China have all successfully reported testing hypersonic glide vehicles, with Russia widely regarded as a leader in the technology.
Despite international sanctions, North Korea's military technology has advanced rapidly in the decade since Kim took the reins.
In the country's current five-year plan, hypersonic missiles are designated as a "high priority" mission for strategic weapons, with its first test, the Hwasong-8, announced in September last year.
The test occurred on the same day that the United Nations Security Council met in New York to examine Pyongyang's nuclear program.
The US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed the launch "violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions."
The dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang has stopped following Kim's announcement that the Biden administration's dialogue offer is a “facade to mask their deception and hostile acts.” Moreover, the successive slew of international sanctions imposed by the US and its allies was a sign of bad faith for North Korea, prompting it to continue its tests for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
