Hypersonic missile’s 621-mile flight claim by North Korea challenged by Seoul

North Korea said Sunday that it had tested a hypersonic missile under leader Kim Jong Un, using the launch to demonstrate the reliability of its nuclear deterrent. The missile was fired Saturday from eastern North Korea and traveled about 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) before striking a target in waters off the country’s east coast, state media KCNA reported.

KCNA described the weapon as an intermediate-range strategic missile forming part of a hypersonic strategic weapon system. The test was intended to train missile units and assess the effectiveness and mobility of North Korea’s deterrent forces.

Kim pushes strategic weapons development

Kim Jong Un supervised the launch and said North Korea should continue developing weapons that force its adversaries to recognize the “reliability and fatality” of its strategic offensive weapons.

KCNA quoted Kim as describing such efforts as a form of deterrence. He also reaffirmed that developing North Korea’s nuclear war deterrent remains essential to national security.

The report said there would be no change in Pyongyang’s policy on maintaining its nuclear deterrent. The latest test adds to more than 10 missile tests carried out by North Korea this year.

The launch also came during a period of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula following a landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers.

Seoul rejects tracking claim

The KCNA report provided more details about the launch after Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a senior Workers’ Party official, disclosed the test on Saturday.

Kim Yo Jong claimed South Korea and Japan had failed to track the weapon properly. She said the missile followed a special “wave-like trajectory mode” that exposed weaknesses in their tracking capabilities.

South Korea rejected that assessment. Its Defense Ministry said its military monitored preparations for the launch, detected the missile after liftoff and tracked its flight. South Korea also said the missile remained within the capabilities of South Korean and U.S. missile-defense systems to detect and intercept.

South Korea’s military had earlier assessed that the weapon flew more than 435 miles (700 kilometers) toward waters off the country’s eastern coast.

Hypersonic system may be nearing deployment

KCNA released unusually detailed information about the test, including precise impact coordinates. Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the disclosure appeared intended to support Pyongyang’s claim that the missile traveled about 621 miles.

Hong said the missile appeared to be a cone-shaped hypersonic system first tested by North Korea in 2022. The latest launch could indicate that Pyongyang is moving from development work toward operational deployment of the weapon.

The test therefore provides another indication of North Korea’s effort to expand its strategic missile capabilities while improving systems designed to complicate regional missile defense.

DMZ dispute adds to tensions

The launch followed a sharp dispute between North and South Korea over the landmine blast in the DMZ.

Kim Yo Jong issued a statement Friday rejecting Seoul’s demand for an apology. She called South Korea’s claims “groundless” and said North Korea had not deliberately laid mines targeting South Korean troops.

The missile test adds another layer to the dispute as Pyongyang continues its weapons program. North Korea’s latest launch also reinforces Kim’s message that the country intends to maintain its nuclear deterrent as a central part of its national security strategy.