North Korea "Continuous Success in Hypersonic Missile Test Launches"... Kim Jong-un Also Attended

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea announced on the 12th that it successfully conducted a hypersonic missile test launch on the 11th under the supervision of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party.

The Workers' Party organ newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that "Comrade Kim Jong-un observed the hypersonic missile test launch conducted by the National Defense Science Institute on the 11th" and that "the hypersonic missile test launch was a consecutive success."

The newspaper claimed, "The hypersonic glide warhead separated from the launched missile performed a glide re-acceleration from the 600 km mark, executing a strong 240 km turning maneuver from the initial launch azimuth to the target azimuth, hitting the designated target in the 1000 km range."

On the same day, General Secretary Kim received a comprehensive briefing on the hypersonic missile weapon system from the director of the National Defense Science Institute.

Kim emphasized, "We must further accelerate the struggle to qualitatively and continuously strengthen the country's strategic military power and enhance the modernity of our army," and encouraged officials by stating, "The defense science research sector must uphold our Party's defense development policies and strategic guidelines and continue to achieve excellent results in the historic task of significantly strengthening the country's war deterrence."

The newspaper reported that Kim highly praised the practical achievements of scientists, technicians, cadres in the missile research sector, and relevant Party organizations who achieved great success in the development of hypersonic weapons, which holds the most important strategic significance among the five core tasks of the five-year defense development plan presented at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, and extended special thanks on behalf of the Party Central Committee.

Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched one ballistic missile presumed projectile from inland toward the East Sea at around 7:27 a.m. the previous day.