North Korea says it tested hypersonic intermediate range missile aimed at remote Pacific targets

North Korea said Tuesday its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations.The North Korean state media report came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea launching a missile that flew 685 miles before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.The launch, conducted weeks before Donald Trump returns as US president, came off a torrid year in weapons testing.North Korea demonstrated multiple weapons systems last year that can target its neighbors and the United States, including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, and there are concerns that its military capabilities could advance further through technology transfers from Russia, as the two countries align over the war in Ukraine.North Korea in recent years has flight tested various intermediate-range missiles, which if perfected, could reach the US Pacific military hub of Guam.

In recent months, North has been testing combining these missiles with purported hypersonic warheads to improve their survivability.North Korea, since 2021, has been testing various hypersonic weapons designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound.The speed and maneuverability of such weapons aim to withstand regional missile defense systems.

However, it’s unclear whether these missiles are consistently flying at the speeds the North claims.The North’s state media said Kim supervised Monday’s launch, and that the weapon traveled 932 miles, during which it reached two different peaks of 62 miles and 26.4 miles and achieved a speed amounting to 12 times the speed of sound, before accurately striking a sea target.Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South Korean military believes North Korea was exaggerating the capabilities of the system, saying th...