North Korea claims it conducted ground engine test for new hypersonic missile

North Korea claimed that it successfully conducted a ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic missile, state-run media said on Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with other senior officials, witnessed the test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the country’s west coast on Tuesday, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

“The military strategic value of this weapon system is appreciated as important as ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) from the security environment of our state and the operational demand of the People’s Army and enemies know better about it,” the agency quoted Kim as saying.

In 2021, North Korea for the first time confirmed that they developed the hypersonic missile and tested it.

Hypersonic missiles usually fly five times the speed of sound, or 6,125km (3,806 miles) per hour, giving little time for enemies to respond, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported. The latest development came after North Korea on Tuesday said Kim witnessed firing drills involving massive super large multiple rocket launchers and warned that if war breaks out, there will be ‘disastrous consequences’.

Massive shells of super-large multiple rocket launchers, fired on Monday from sharp gun barrels like lava, flew to the target with the flame of ‘annihilating the enemy’, said KCNA.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have persisted since last year as divided Koreas held regular military activities with the US and Japan also joining Seoul in joint military drills.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with other senior officials, witnessed the test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the country’s west coast on Tuesday