Pyongyang declares that it has tested-fired its hypersonic missile during the first major launch of this year
North Korea said it successfully launched a hypersonic munition in a recent test, claiming the projectile struck a target hundreds of miles away after Washington denounced the move as “destabilizing.”
Missile “precisely hit a set target” some 700 kilometers (435 miles) off North Korea’s east coast during the test launch, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Thursday, adding that leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the firing.
South Korea’s military first reported on the launch early on Wednesday, the first of its kind since last October, and Seoul has since urged the North to “sincerely respond to our efforts to make peace and cooperation through dialogue.” Just hours after the test, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was present for a groundbreaking event for a rail line through the border town of Goseong – part of efforts to re-connect transit between the two neighbors.
The US State Department denounced the missile test. “violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions”And a “threat to the DPRK’s neighbors and the international community.” Washington’s Indo-Pacific Command, however, earlier acknowledged that “this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies,”The launch was criticized for not having been launched, however. “destabilizing impact”The region.
Pyongyang first claimed to possess a hypersonic weapon – the Hwasong-8 missile – following another test last September, however military officials in Seoul said the munition appeared to be in an early stage of development at the time. The US has been shaming the North for its long-range nuclear and missile testing, but it continues to test short- and mid-range munitions. There are currently around 30,000 US soldiers stationed in South Korea.
Share this story via social media
[ad_2]
