Seoul: North Korea fired alleged ballistic missiles to the sea on Tuesday, with the warning of the South Korean military, such a second weapon test in less than a week showed significant signs of progress.
The early launch of the morning came when the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss the test last week about what was called Pyongyang as a hypersonic missile, although Seoul had doubted the claim.
But the South Korean military said the “alleged ballistic missile” which was launched Tuesday has reached hypersonic speed – a sign of “progress” from the test last week.
Decade since the leader of Kim Jong United Nations took power, North Korea had seen rapid progress in his military technology at the cost of international sanctions.
Missile Tuesday landed outside the Japanese exclusive economic zone.
Even though there were no direct reports of damage, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the “very regrettable” launch.
The United States condemned what was called the “ballistic missile launch”, and reaffirmed its commitment to defending South Korea and Japan.
“This launch violates several UN Security Council resolutions and pursues a threat to neighbors of the DPRK and the international community,” the department said, using an abbreviation of the North Korean official name.
“We remain committed to diplomatic approaches to the DPRK and call them to engage in dialogue.” The missile, opened fire on the Peninsula east sea on Tuesday around 7:27 a.m.
(2227 GMT Monday), flew 700 kilometers (435 miles) at an altitude of about 60 kilometers (37 miles) at the speed of Mach 10, Seoul’s joints said the chief of staff.
Hypersonic missiles travel with Mach 5 and higher speed and can maneuver mid aviation, making them more difficult to track and intercept.
The UN Security Council meeting to discuss Pyongyang weapons programs came after six countries, including the US and Japan, which called for North Korea to “engage in meaningful dialogue to our shared goals of complete denucliration”.
Pyongyang is likely to have planned the latest launch to coincide with the UN meeting “to maximize its political impact,” Shin Beom-Chul, a researcher at the Korean research Institute for the National Strategy, told AFP.
He said Tuesday’s launch looked like a hypersonic missile test, judging at a speed, but it was warned that it didn’t read too much.
“Since South Korea claimed [Test January 5] Not a hypersonic missile that refers to speed, Pyongyang may have tried to show off its maximum speed,” this time, he said.
Hypersonic missiles are registered among “top priority” tasks for strategic weapons in the current five-year plan, and announce their first test – from Hwasong-8 – in September last year.
Pyongyang also said he had successfully tested ballistic missiles launched by new submarines, long-distance roaming missiles, and weapons launched by train in 2021.
The new test came when North Korea refused to respond to negotiations to us.
At the main meeting of the North Korean party ruling last month, Kim vowed to continue to build the country’s defense capabilities, without mentioning America.
Instead of the policy position on diplomacy, where Kim’s new year’s statement was watched, he focused on food security and economic development.
The dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains stopped and this country is under several sets of international sanctions on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The poor nation is also under the Coronavirus blockade which is forced by itself that has hammered its economy.