According to state news agency KCNA, the projectile North Korea fired off its east coast on Tuesday was a newly designed hypersonic missile, the latest in a succession of new weaponry tested by the hermit regime.
According to South Korean military reports, the missile was shot toward the sea off North Korea's east coast, as Pyongyang called on the US and South Korea to end their "double standards" on weapons programs to resume diplomatic discussions.
The weapon system's development boosts North Korea's defense capabilities, according to KCNA, which calls the hypersonic missile a "strategic weapon."
Hypersonic weapons, unlike ballistic missiles, which travel into space before returning on steep trajectories, fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can reach speeds of more than five times the speed of sound – or around 6,200 kilometers per hour (3,853 miles per hour).
The test could indicate that North Korea is joining a fast-moving competition between the US, Russia, and China to deploy the weapon.
Despite a deadlock in discussions intended at reducing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in exchange for US sanctions relief, the country has continued to build its weapons programs.
According to the report, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not inspect the launch.
"National defense scientists confirmed the missile's navigational control and stability in the first test launch," according to the report.
According to the report, the Hwasong-8 missile met its technical targets, which included "guiding maneuverability and gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead."
Next-generation of arms
Hypersonic weapons are the next generation designed to eliminate adversaries' response time and traditional defeat methods.
On Monday, the United States announced that it has successfully tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon, the first such test since 2013.
Russia successfully tested a Tsirkon(Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile in July, a weapon promoted by President Vladimir Putin as part of a new generation of missile weapons unrivaled in the world.
Because the flight was timed at Mach 2.5, Chang Young-Keun, a missile specialist at Korea Aerospace University, believes the North's hypersonic gliding vehicle (HGV) test was likely a failure, citing a report from South Korean military intelligence.
"The North's HGV technology is not comparable to that of the United States, Russia, or China, and it appears to be aimed at short-range targets such as South Korea or Japan for the time being," Chang added.
Following South Korean President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a declaration to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea indicated this week that it was open to contemplate another summit with the South if mutual respect could be secured.
The denuclearization talks, which began in 2018 with former US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, have been stuck since 2019.
On September 15, both Koreas tested ballistic missiles as part of an arms race in which both countries have built increasingly powerful weaponry while efforts to defuse tensions have proven futile.
