On Wednesday, North Korea successfully tested a hypersonic weapon, according to a news report from the state.
The launch “exactly hit” a stated goal of 700 kilometers (434 miles) away, according to KCNA.
This is the second known test of a hypersonic missile, which can remain hidden for longer than ballistic missiles.
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has declared that a nuclear test is essential to improving the country’s defenses.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un stated in his New Year’s address that the country would continue to build up its defense capabilities in light of an increasingly dangerous military situation on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea tested a variety of missiles throughout last year, as the situation with the South and the US remained unresolved.
North Korea is the first country in the world to test a hypersonic weapon, joining a small group of nations, including the United States and China, that are working on developing such weapons.
The Japanese coast guard first noticed the newest launch on Tuesday, before it was confirmed by South Korean defense authorities.
The “hypersonic gliding warhead” separated from its rocket booster and maneuvered 120 km laterally before “precisely striking” a target 700 km away, the news agency said.
The test also verified components such as flight control and the ability to function in the cold.
Hypersonic weapons, unlike ballistic missiles, fly at lower altitudes and can travel more than five times the speed of sound (about 6,200 kilometers per hour), approaching targets from above.
Ankit Panda, a senior research associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an expert in military affairs, told news agency Reuters that the recently-tested hypersonic missile is not the same as the Hwasong-8 that was previously tested – but it does share some similar characteristics.
The new weapon was first revealed at a military exhibition in Pyongyang in October 2021.