The new weapon could potentially strike US military bases in Guam, Yonhap News Agency reports
North Korea fired a ballistic missile with a suspected hypersonic warhead into the East Sea on Monday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It was launched from the Pyongyang area at around 12 noon and traveled approximately 1,100km before landing in the water, according to military officials.
Seoul’s JCS noted that the rocket had flown a shorter distance than that of a typical intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which can travel between 3,000 and 5,500km. However, a JCS official suggested that it could be equipped with a hypersonic warhead, similar to those tested by North Korea in 2024.
Hypersonic missiles are known for their speed, making them harder to intercept.
Such a missile could potentially be used to strike US military bases in Guam, Yonhap News Agency reports. The island territory, located approximately 3,400km from Pyongyang, hosts significant US strategic assets in the region.
North Korea has conducted several missile tests in recent years, but hasn’t yet confirmed the latest launch reported by the South Korean military.
In recent decades, North Korea has been subjected to numerous UN Security Council resolutions, which condemn its missile program.
In late December last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to keep improving the country’s defenses and “aggressively” pursue the “toughest anti-US counteraction” to date. He described the US as “the most reactionary state,” highlighting that it “regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy,” according to KCNA news agency.
Kim went on to describe the US alliance with Japan and South Korea as “a nuclear military bloc for aggression,” and the latter as “an out-and-out anti-communist outpost of the US.” He called for “the toughest anti-US counteraction to be launched aggressively by [North Korea] for its long-term national interests and security.”
