North Korea claims to have fired solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile
North Korea on Monday said it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead on Sunday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In a bid to verify the warhead's gliding and manoeuvring capabilities and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines, the missile loaded with a hypersonic manoeuvrable controlled warhead was launched on Sunday afternoon, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
It did not reveal the flight distance and other details of the missile.
The Missile General Bureau said the test was conducted as part of the agency and its affiliated defence science institutes' «regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems,» Yonhap reported citing KCNA.
North Korea also announced that the test fire «never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation.»
South Korea's military on Sunday said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 pm (local time).
According to South Korea's military, the missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometres before splashing into the sea.
This marked North's first missile launch since the firing of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18.
Last week, South Korea's Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the North Korean regime staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November. Shin Won-sik made the remarks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week.
Seoul military officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting US military
