SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday that its latest missile tests involved new hypersonic systems aimed at strengthening its nuclear war deterrent, as leader continues to build up weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea’s missile defenses.
The report by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North firing multiple missiles from an area south of the capital, Pyongyang, and said they flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast before falling on land.
The tests came days before world leaders, including U.S. President and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to gather in rival South Korea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.
KCNA said the launches involved two hypersonic projectiles that accurately struck a land target in the country’s northern region. It described the system as strategic, implying that they were designed to be armed with nuclear warheads.
KCNA didn’t specify the name of the new missile system it tested. The tests came after a massive military parade in Pyongyang earlier this month, where Kim unveiled some of his military’s newest weapons, including what appeared to be a short-range ballistic system fitted with hypersonic glide vehicles.
North Korea in recent years has been testing various missile systems tipped with which are designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. The speed and maneuverability of such weapons are meant to help them evade regional missile defense systems, but experts have questioned whether they have consistently flown at the speeds the North claims during tests.
Pak Jong Chon, one of Kim’s top military officials who attended Wednesday’s tests, lauded the performance of the “new cutting-edge weapon system” and said the North would continue efforts to bolster its war deterrent and defense capabilities.
During the Oct. 10 parade, Kim also unveiled a new that state media described as the country’s most powerful nuclear asset, adding to his growing collection of weapons with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. Experts say the North could be preparing to test the missile in the coming weeks, ahead of a major ruling party conference in early 2026, when Kim is expected to announce key policy directions — potentially including his approach toward the United States.
Kim has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since his high-stakes with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over the U.S.-led economic sanctions.
Wednesday’s launches marked North Korea’s first ballistic missile tests since liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, pledging to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. But Kim has so far rejected Lee’s offer for talks and has said he won’t resume diplomacy with the United States unless Washington abandons its goal of denuclearizing the North.
Some experts had predicted that North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to gaining international recognition as a nuclear weapons state.
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