The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong, conducted a test launch on Monday using a new hypersonic missile system that he claimed would help deter the country’s adversaries in the Pacific region. Kim stated that the hypersonic missile system would provide reliable control over any adversary in the Pacific region, enhancing the security of their state, as reported by the KCNA state news agency.
Following a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to South Korea, where he emphasized strategic cooperation with the staunch adversary North Korea, this test was carried out. South Korea remains technologically advanced and engaged in military readiness against North Korea.
In a released statement, Kim revealed that the missile traveled a distance of one thousand five hundred kilometers (930 miles) at a speed twelve times faster than the speed of sound, landing in the water. This distance exceeds the one thousand one hundred kilometers (680 miles) previously reached by the South Korean military.
Kim clarified that the purpose of this hypersonic missile system is for defensive purposes and not for offensive actions. However, he warned that it could effectively differentiate and target any dense defensive obstacle, posing a serious military threat to adversaries, although its operational capability could not be underestimated globally.
He added that North Korea’s defense capabilities would continue to rapidly advance, with the goal of becoming a military power. Blinken and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, criticized the test launch at a joint press conference, highlighting the significance of the deepening trilateral alliance with Japan.
This test launch, conducted on Monday, was the first of its kind since Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election in November. Prior to this, a launch had taken place in November, during which North Korea claimed to have successfully tested an advanced and powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system.
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Author: MAYA | HARUTO
Posted at: January 8, 2025 8:01 am
