North Korea reported this morning the missile it test-fired on Monday was a hypersonic ballistic missile and that the launch was successful.
Our correspondent Kim Jung-sil reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed Monday’s missile launch as evidence of the regime’s ability to address what he described as “growing threats.”
The regime’s state media reported on Tuesday that a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was test-launched from a site near Pyongyang.
Kim and his daughter, Ju-ae, reportedly observed the test remotely through a video monitoring system.
Kim Jong-un stated that the missile test proves North Korea is continuously advancing its weapons capabilities.
He said that this development, including hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles, is part of the regime’s efforts to counter what it sees as growing threats from hostile forces.
Kim stated that the goal of these weapons is to establish an unchallengeable system at the core of strategic deterrence, continuously strengthening North Korea’s nuclear war deterrence.
He claimed that few nations possess such advanced weapons and insisted the test was defensive, posing no threat to neighboring countries.
Pyongyang claimed the missile reached “Mach 12” and flew “about 1,500 kilometers,” while South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated it traveled 1,100 kilometers before landing in the East Sea.
Analysts say the launch signals North Korea’s ability to strike U.S. territories like Guam while deliberately limiting the missile’s range to manage tensions.
Some believe the move, two weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration, was a calculated show of force.
While Pyongyang claims the tests are defensive, Seoul condemns them as destabilizing and warns that they further isolate North Korea while raising regional tensions.
Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279648
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