NORTH Korea’s latest weapons test involved a hypersonic missile, state media reported today, saying the second such launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week had been successful.

The test was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, with the missile carrying a “hypersonic gliding vehicle” that hit “the set target in waters 1,000km off,” the official Korea Central News Agency said.

“The superior manoeuvrability of the hypersonic glide vehicle was more strikingly verified through the final test-fire,” the report said.

Photographs posted on the website of Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, showed the missile blasting off from land, and Kim supervising the dawn launch, surrounded by men in military uniforms.

South Korea’s military said the Tuesday launch had reached hypersonic speeds and showed clear signs of “progress” from last week’s test.

Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds of Mach 5 and higher and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.

The test yesterday came as the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss Pyongyang’s weapons programmes following last week’s test. – AFP, January 12, 2022.