SEOUL – North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said that a new hypersonic missile system used in a test launch on Monday would help deter the country’s rivals in the Pacific, the KCNA state news agency reported.
The test-fire came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited strategic ally South Korea, a fierce rival of the North, with whom it technically remains at war.
In a statement, Kim said the missile flew for 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) — beyond the 1,100-kilometre (680-mile) figure given by South Korea’s military — and travelled at 12 times the speed of sound before landing in water.
“This is clearly a plan and effort for self-defence, not an offensive plan and action,” Kim said.
However, he added that the performance of the missile system “can not be ignored worldwide,” saying it can “deal a serious military strike to a rival while effectively breaking any dense defensive barrier.”
“The development of the defence capabilities of the DPRK aiming to be a military power will be further accelerated,” Kim said, using the acronym for the North’s official name.
Blinken and his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul condemned the launch at a joint news conference, where the outgoing US top diplomat said it showed the importance of deepening a three-way alliance with Japan.
Monday’s test-fire was North Korea’s first since US President-elect Donald Trump won his country’s November election.
Its previous launch was in November, when it test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). – AFP
