North Korea successfully launched a hypersonic missile.
North Korea launched a hypersonic ballistic missile on January 6th.
According to RIA Novosti on January 7, the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that North Korea launched its newest hypersonic ballistic missile on January 6. The test was supervised by leader Kim Jong-un.
"The General Missile Bureau of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea successfully conducted the latest test launch of a new medium- and long-range hypersonic ballistic missile... Leader Kim Jong-un observed the latest test launch of the new medium- and long-range hypersonic ballistic missile via video link," KCNA reported.
The missile, launched from the outskirts of Pyongyang, traveled approximately 1,500 km at 12 times the speed of sound (Mach 12), equivalent to over 14,800 km/h, reaching a maximum altitude of nearly 100 km before precisely falling into a simulated location in the eastern sea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un noted that the country's newest hypersonic ballistic missile is capable of overcoming any missile defense system. The missile is designed to deter any of North Korea's adversaries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, Yonhap News Agency, citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area toward the Sea of Japan for the first time in 2025. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that this was a hypersonic missile, similar to the supersonic medium-range missiles launched by North Korea in January and April of last year.
The JCS also noted that, theoretically, this type of missile is capable of striking US military bases in Guam, located approximately 3,400 km from Pyongyang.
Late last year, North Korea declared its readiness to adopt the “strictest” strategy against Washington, noting that military cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan had become an “aggressive military bloc.”
