Synopsis
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful test of a new hypersonic ballistic missile, aiming to accelerate the country’s nuclear and missile capabilities. The missile reached an altitude of nearly 100 km and manoeuvred to an accurate landing. South Korea disputed some of the test details, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the launch. AP This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test fire of new type intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at an undisclosed place in North Korea Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM) on Monday, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, pledging to accelerate the country’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
It was North Korea’s first missile launch since Nov. 5, and coincided with a visit to South Korea by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which he pledged bilateral and trilateral cooperation, including with Japan, to respond to Pyongyang’s growing military threats.
The test occurred less than two weeks before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who held unprecedented summits with Kim during his first term and has touted their personal rapport, returns to office.
The missile was fired from the outskirts of Pyongyang and flew about 1,500 km (932 miles) at 12 times the speed of sound, reaching an altitude of nearly 100 km before descending to a “second peak” of 42.5 km and manoeuvring to an accurat
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