North Korea successfully tested technology used in a new hypersonic missile on Tuesday, according to state media.
On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led the military in a ground-based jet test of a multistage solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile at Seohae Satellite Launching Site, North Korea’s rocket launch facility. This was reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The more powerful and agile missiles are designed to hit far-flung US targets in the region, particularly Guam, a US Pacific territory that is home to US military bases.
“The enemy knows a lot about it,” Kim said, citing the strategic value of the new missile, which he claimed could target the U.S. mainland. He also praised the “huge success in important tests”.
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In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) watches a test of a solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile at North Korea’s Saihae Satellite Launch Site. Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, Associated Press)
Experts say North Korea continues to develop intermediate-range missiles that can reach Alaska, with hopes of hitting closer targets such as U.S. military facilities on Japan’s Okinawa island. North Korea also wants hypersonic weapons that can defeat U.S. and South Korean missile defense systems.
In January, North Korea announced that it had conducted a flight test of a new solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead on its tip. North Korea announced in November that it had conducted an engine test for an intermediate-range missile.
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows a flight test of a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile in North Korea on Sunday, January 14, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, Associated Press)
In recent years, North Korea has promoted the development of self-contained solid propellants, making launches more difficult to detect than liquid propellant missiles.
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The speed and maneuverability of North Korea’s hypersonic missiles was not immediately clear.
Jang Yong-geun, a missile expert at the Korea Institute for National Strategic Studies, predicts that Tuesday’s engine test suggests that North Korea may test launch a new hypersonic missile soon. did.
This undated photo provided by the North Korean government on February 2, 2024. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) visits a shipyard in Nampo, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, Associated Press)
Hypersonic missiles are just one of several high-tech weapons systems that Mr. Kim has publicly vowed to achieve amid deepening U.S. hostility.
On Monday, South Korea, the United States and Japan said they had detected multiple ballistic missile tests by North Korea. This is the first missile launch by the country in about a month.
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Experts predict that North Korea is likely to step up its missile tests in the run-up to the US presidential election in November.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
