North Korea fires second suspected ‘hypersonic’ missile within a week

AP

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea in its second suspected launch within a week amid calls from Kim Jong-un to expand the country’s nuclear arsenal.

The launches follow a series of weapons tests in 2021 that underscored how North Korea is continuing to expand its military capabilities during a pandemic lockdown and deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired what likely was a ballistic missile from its northern Jagang province.

It said the weapon flew 434 miles at a maximum speed of around Mach 10 before landing in waters off its eastern coast.

It said the launch was a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions and demonstrated a more advanced capability than North Korea’s previous launch last week.

The North’s state media described that launch as a successful test of a hypersonic missile, a type of weaponry it claimed to have first tested in September.

NKOREA-POLITICS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image

A second hypersonic test, coming so soon after the last, could indicate the earlier launch had failed, said Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

“It’s hard to understand why they would carry out another test less than a week after they announced a success,” he said.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the suspected ballistic missile landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said officials were checking the safety of ships and aircraft around Japan, but there were no immediate reports of disruptions or damage.

Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose a crucial challenge to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.

North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal is at the core of Kim’s rule and what he considers his strongest guarantee of survival but experts say he is many years away from acquiring a credible hypersonic system.

On Monday, the US mission to the United Nations, joined by France, the Irish Republic, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Albania, issued a joint statement condemning last week’s apparent test.

“These actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability,” said US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The group called for North Korea “to refrain from further destabilising actions... and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearisation.”

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