N.Korea claims to have successfully launched ballistic missile

Seoul, Jan 15: North Korea on Monday said it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day as part of "regular activities to develop powerful weapons systems", Pyongyang's state media reported.

The missile loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead was launched on Sunday afternoon in a bid to verify the warhead's gliding and maneuvering capabilities and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

It however, did not disclose the missile's flight distance or time and other details.

North Korea also noted the test-fire "never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation", Yonhap News Agency quoted KCNA as saying.

The South Korean military said that it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2.55 p.m., on Sunday and the missile flew approximately 1,000 km before splashing into the sea.

It marked the North's first missile launch since the firing of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18, 2023.

Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as fuel injection.

Seoul military officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting .S military bases in Japan and Guam.

IRBMs have a range of 3,000-5,500 km.

Guam, approximately 3,000 km southeast of North Korea, hosts key US naval and air force bases.

A hypersonic missile is among the list of high-tech weapons that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop at a party congress in 2021 as part of the country's key military projects.

In January 2022, North Korea claimed it had successfully launched hypersonic missiles, about three months after it first test-fired the new weapons system, called a Hwasong-8 missile.