N. Korea says it test-fired hypersonic missile to bolster strategic capabilities

Seoul (South Korea), January 6: North Korea said Thursday that it has successfully conducted a test-firing of a hypersonic missile a day earlier, three months after it first showcased the new weapons system.
On Wednesday, South Korea's military said the North fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the northern province of Jagang.
The missile made a "120 km lateral movement" from the initial launch azimuth and "precisely hit a set target 700 km away," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. It did not disclose the speed of the projectile.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the firing.
The flight range of the new missile, however, has yet to be verified. The range detected by the South Korean and U.S. intelligence assets is known to be different from what the North announced.
"The test launch clearly demonstrated the control and stability of the hypersonic gliding warhead which combined the multi-stage gliding jump flight and the strong lateral movement," the KCNA said.
Hypersonic missiles usually fly at a speed of at least Mach 5, five times the speed of sound or 6,125 km per hour, giving little time for enemies to respond.
"South Korea and the U.S. detected the ballistic missile with our intelligence assets and are capable of responding to it," the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak told a regular press briefing.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the North is banned from making any launch using ballistic missile technology under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Source: Yonhap