North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile in waters off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korean media reported.
The missile was launched from an area near North Korea’s capital Pyongyang and travelled about 372 miles before falling into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Lee Sung Joon, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the launch likely followed a March test of a solid-fuel engine for a new medium-range hypersonic missile North Korea is developing. Experts believe that if perfected, such a weapon could reach the US Pacific military centre in Guam and beyond.
Lee did not elaborate on why the South Koreans rated the missile as an IRBM and whether it was launched at a lower yield, but said the North Koreans are likely experimenting with new warhead technology.
Japan’s defence ministry gave a more detailed assessment, saying the missile flew about 403 miles, reaching a maximum altitude of 62 miles before falling in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The Japanese military did not immediately say whether it assessed the missile as an intermediate-range missile or something else.
It was the first known launch since March 18, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led an exercise of artillery systems designed to fire on the South Korean capital.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that no damage related to the missile had been reported.
In recent years, North Korea has focused on developing more weapons with inbuilt solid propellant engines. Such weapons are easier to move and hide and can be launched more quickly than liquid-fuelled missiles, which need to be refuelled before launch and cannot remain fuelled for long periods of time.
Kim has also vowed to acquire hypersonic missiles that can overcome his adversaries’ missile defence systems. Other weapons North Korea has tested this year include cruise missiles and “extra-large” multiple rocket launchers.
