SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Monday it has flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile with a hypersonic warhead as it seeks more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons designed to attack distant U.S. targets Region.
The report by North Korean state media came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries spotted the launch from a site near the North Korean capital Pyongyang, in the North's first ballistics test of 2024.
The launch came two months after North Korea said it had successfully tested engines for a new solid-fuel medium-range missile, reflecting a push to expand its range of weapons for U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday's launch was aimed at checking the reliability of the rocket's solid-fuel engines and the maneuverable flight capabilities of the hypersonic warhead. It called the test a success but did not provide flight details.
KCNA did not mention whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the test, which was part of the country's regular weapons development activities.
According to the South Korean General Staff, the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan. The North's existing intermediate-range missiles, including the Hwasong-12, which could potentially reach the U.S. military base of Guam in the Pacific, are powered by liquid-fuel engines that require refueling before launch and cannot remain refueled for long periods.
Missiles with built-in solid propellants can be readied for launch more quickly and are easier to move and conceal, theoretically making it harder for adversaries to detect and prevent the launch.
Since 2021, the North has also been testing hypersonic weapons that are designed to exceed five times the speed of sound. If such systems are perfected, they could potentially pose a challenge to regional missile defense systems due to their speed and maneuverability.
Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at South Korea's National Strategy Research Institute, said Sunday's test focused more on developing a first stage for a solid-fuel IRBM than on evaluating the alleged hypersonic warhead.
Experts say it is unclear whether the North's hypersonic vehicles were able to consistently maintain a desired speed of more than Mach 5 during their tests in 2021 and 2022. However, it is likely that the North will seek to build a solid rocket-propelled hypersonic weapon system at the same time as its hypersonic weapon system. It is seeking to develop the new IRBM and may conduct further flight tests soon, Chang said.
“In particular, a hypersonic missile with IRBM range would be an effective means of evading U.S. missile defenses and attacking Guam,” Chang said of the North’s ambitions.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesman for South Korea's General Staff, said the military was analyzing the North's latest test but declined to provide specific assessments of North Korean capabilities demonstrated by the launch.
The South's defense ministry issued a statement calling on the North to halt its ballistic testing activities, which violate UN Security Council resolutions. It said the South Korean military maintained a firm joint defense posture with its US allies and was prepared to respond “overwhelmingly” in the event of a direct provocation from the North.
Hypersonic weapons were among a wish list of advanced military assets that Kim unveiled in 2021, along with multiple-warhead missiles, spy satellites, long-range solid-fuel missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.
Ticking off Kim's list of targets, North Korean military scientists and engineers last year tested for the first time a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-18, expanding the North's arsenal for the U.S. mainland.
The North also launched its first military reconnaissance satellite in November and plans to launch three more satellites in 2024, as Kim calls these devices crucial to monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and increasing the threat from his nuclear-capable missiles.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at their highest in years after Kim stepped up his weapons demonstrations in recent months. The United States and its allies Seoul and Tokyo responded by increasing their joint military exercises and tightening their nuclear deterrence strategies.
There are also concerns about alleged arms cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they align with Washington amid separate, intensifying confrontations. In the latest sign of diplomacy, a North Korean delegation led by Kim's Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, KCNA said. The report did not specify what was to be discussed.
The U.S. and South Korean governments have alleged that North Korea provided Russia with arms supplies, including artillery and missiles, to prolong its invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration said it had evidence that missiles supplied by North Korea to Russia were used in the war in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the United States, South Korea and their partners said the missile transfer supported Russia's war of aggression and provided North Korea with valuable technical and military intelligence.
Koo Byoungsam, spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, said Seoul was closely monitoring Choe's visit to Russia and complained that North Korea and Russia allegedly “maintained illegal cooperation activities, including arms exchanges,” after Kim's visit to Russia in September for a summit with the Russian president. Wladimir Putin. Asked whether Choe might work to organize a Putin visit to North Korea, Koo did not give a specific answer.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied allegations of North Korean arms sales to Russia.
Some experts say the North could seek to increase pressure further in an election year in South Korea and the United States.
North Korea fired a volley of artillery shells near the disputed western maritime border with South Korea earlier this month, prompting the South to conduct similar fire exercises in return. Kim has also made verbal threats, defining South Korea as the North's “main enemy” at a political conference last week and threatening to destroy it if provoked.
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AP writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to the report.