North Korea says it tested solid-fuel missile tipped with hypersonic weapon

North Korea on Monday claimed it flighttested a new solidfuel intermediaterange missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead as it pursues more powerful hardertodetect weapons designed to strike remote US targets in the regionThe report by North Koreas state media came a day after the South Korean and the Japanese militaries detected the launch from a site near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in what was the Norths first ballistic test of 2024The launch came two months after North Korea said it successfully tested engines for a new solidfuel intermediaterange missile which reflected a push to advance its lineup of weapons targeting US military bases in Guam and JapanThe Norths official Korean Central News Agency said Sundays launch was aimed at verifying the reliability of the missiles solidfuel engines and the maneuverable flight capabilities of the hypersonic warhead It described the test as a successKCNA did not mention whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the test which it said was part of the countrys regular weapons development activities The testfire never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation KCNA saidSouth Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 1000 kilometres before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and JapanThe Norths existing intermediaterange missiles including the Hwasong12 that may be able to reach the US Pacific territory of Guam are powered by liquidfuel engines which need to be fuelled before launch and cannot stay fuelled for long periods of timeMissiles with builtin solid propellants can be made ready to launch faster and are easier to move and conceal which theoretically makes it harder for adversaries to detect and preempt the launch in advanceThe North since 2021 has also been testing hypersonic weapons which are designed to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound If perfected such systems could potentially pose a challenge to regional missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverabilityHypersonic weapons were part of a wishlist of sophisticated military assets Kim unveiled in 2021 along with multiwarhead missiles spy satellites solidfuel longrange missiles and submarinelaunched nuclear missilesThe North last year tested a solidfuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time which added to its arsenal of weapons targeting the US mainland and also launched its first military reconnaissance satellite in NovemberTensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years after Kim in recent months ramped up his weapons demonstrations The US and its allies Seoul and Tokyo responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and sharpening their nuclear deterrence strategiesThere are also concerns about an alleged arms cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they align in the face of separate intensifying confrontations with Washington In their latest sign of diplomacy a North Korean delegation led by Kims foreign minister Choe Sun Hui left Pyongyang on Sunday for a visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov KCNA said The report did not specify what would be discussedThe US and the South Korean governments have claimed that North Korea has been providing Russia with arms supplies including artillery and missiles to help prolong its invasion of UkraineThe Biden administration said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia had been used in the war in Ukraine In a joint statement last week the US South Korea and their partners said the missile transfer supports Russias war of aggression and provides North Korea with valuable technical and military insightsSome experts say that the North could try to further dial up pressure in an election year in South Korea and the US North Korea earlier this month fired a barrage of artillery shells near the disputed western sea boundary with South Korea prompting the South to conduct similar firing exercises in the areaKim has also released verbal threats using a political conference last week to define South Korea as the Norths principal enemy and threatened to annihilate it if provokedExperts say Kim likely wants to see South Korean liberals win a crucial parliamentary election in April to deal a blow to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol who has taken a hard line on the North They say Kim may also want former US President Donald Trump to be elected again possibly thinking that would give him an easier shot at winning US concessions over the nuclear standoffTrump met Kim three times during his term but their diplomacy never recovered from the collapse of their second meeting in 2019 when the Americans rejected North Koreas demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilitiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies 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