North Korea joins race for new hypersonic missile

North Korea test-fired a newly developed hypersonic missile this week, state news media KCNA reported on Wednesday, joining a race headed by major military powers to deploy the advanced weapons system. North Korea fired the missile off its east coast towards the sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, as Pyongyang called on the US and South Korea to scrap their “double standards” on weapons programmes to restart diplomatic talks. Sung Kim, the US special envoy for North Korea, said the latest launch was “destabilising” and posed a regional threat but Washington would continue diplomatic efforts to denuclearise the peninsula.