Anchor: North Korea said Monday that it successfully launched its solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile(IRBM) on Sunday. The launch marked the first missile provocation of the year with Seoul strongly condemning Pyongyang, saying it’s threatening peace and seeking to promote division within South Korean society.
Max Lee reports.

Report: North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Monday that it had successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile(IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead.

According to the Missile General Bureau, the test was part of the agency and its affiliated defense science institutes’ “regular activities” in developing powerful weapons systems.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that Pyongyang launched the IRBM at approximately 2:55 p.m. on Sunday.

It marked the first ballistic missile provocation of the year and comes 27 days after the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18.

Experts say the regime is expected to further raise tensions in the region, with provocations ahead of South Korea’s general elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November.

South Korea’s military determined that Sunday’s missile flew about one-thousand kilometers and landed in the East Sea.

The IRBM has a range of about three-thousand to five-thousand-500 kilometers, putting it within striking range from North Korea to U.S. military bases in Okinawa and Guam.

Hypersonic missiles are considered difficult weapons to intercept as they’re capable of anomalous maneuvers at ultra-high speeds, several times the speed of sound.
Meanwhile, the defense ministry issued a stern warning that the latest launch was “a clear provocative act that violates UN Security Council resolutions” and urged the regime to stop immediately.

The unification ministry also followed with its own condemnation, saying that North Korea’s actions are threatening peace in the region.

Max Lee, KBS World Radio News.