North Korea successfully launches hypersonic missile
North Korea launched a hypersonic ballistic missile on January 6.
According to RIA Novosti on January 7, the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that on January 6, North Korea launched its latest hypersonic ballistic missile. The test was supervised by leader Kim Jong-un.
“The General Rocket Department of the DPRK successfully conducted the test-firing of the latest medium- and long-range supersonic ballistic missile... Leader Kim Jong-un observed the test-firing of the latest medium- and long-range supersonic ballistic missile via video link,” KCNA said.
The missile was launched from the outskirts of Pyongyang, flew about 1,500 km at a speed 12 times faster than sound (Mach 12), equivalent to more than 14,800 km/h, reached a maximum altitude of nearly 100 km before falling precisely at the assumed location in the East Sea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has noted that the country's latest hypersonic ballistic missile is capable of overcoming any missile defense system. The missile will be designed to deter any of North Korea's adversaries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area towards the Sea of Japan for the first time in 2025. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that this was a hypersonic missile, similar to North Korea's hypersonic medium-range missiles launched in January and April last year.
The JCS also noted that, in theory, this type of missile is capable of attacking US military bases in Guam, located about 3,400 km from Pyongyang.
Late last year, North Korea declared its readiness to adopt the “most stringent” strategy against Washington, noting that military cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan had become an “aggressive military bloc.”
