North Korea tests new hypersonic missile as Kim warns of ‘incurable headache’ for enemies

North Korea said it successfully tested a new combat weapon system on September 20, with leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae overseeing the launch, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on September 22.reuters+1

The South Korean military confirmed that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area into the East Sea on September 20, with the projectiles flying approximately 450 kilometers and over 600 kilometers respectively. The missiles are believed to be of the Hwasong-11 class, and photos released by the Rodong Sinmun showed the words "Hwasongpho-11ma-1 flight trajectory" on a monitor screen Kim was viewing, indicating the weapon was a short-range ballistic missile fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle.nknews+1

Kim's Warning to Adversaries

Kim called the test "an indisputable demonstration of advanced defense technological capabilities" and "a distinct renewal in modernizing armed forces," according to KCNA. He added that the weapon would become "an incurable headache and a very severe and inevitable baptism" for North Korea's enemies.news.sbs

The test marks North Korea's 14th ballistic missile launch this year and came days after Pyongyang accused the United States of driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of joint military drills with South Korea.straitstimes+2

Diplomatic Response

On September 21, the foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United States met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, agreeing to coordinate closely for peace, stability and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. North Korea has previously characterized the trilateral military cooperation among the three nations as a developing "nuclear alliance".devdiscourse+2

The launch underscores Pyongyang's continued push to advance its missile capabilities despite international condemnation, with Kim framing the program as essential to "the state's war preparedness posture and the prospective development of armed forces".news.sbs