Anchor: Defense Minister Shin Won-sik told KBS that North Korea's hypersonic missile test conducted earlier this month was unsuccessful. While noting that the weapons system is still under development, Shin acknowledged that North Korea will be able to complete the missile one day. He added, however, that even when the North completes the development of the hypersonic missile, South Korea and the U.S. will be able to destroy the weapon.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: Defense Minister Shin Won-sik says that North Korea's recent hypersonic missile test was not successful and the weapons system is in the development stage.  

Appearing on a KBS program on Sunday, the minister presented the assessment refuting Pyongyang's claim.
 
[Sound bite: Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (Korean-English)]
“The tips of the previous [missiles] were cone shaped but the one launched in April was changed to a glide type with wings. We assess that there were partial technical improvements. However, based on a detailed analysis of the flight path by South Korea and the U.S., we concluded that the [warhead] failed to glide in the hypersonic condition in the final stage. It is still incomplete. This requires a very high level of technology so it will take time but as North Korea is focused on this, we believe that they will succeed one day.”  

[Sound bite: Korean Central Television news coverage (Apr. 3)] 

On April 2, North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile and claimed the next day that it successfully test-fired what it called the "Hwasongpho-16B" with a hypersonic warhead.

Hypersonic weapons, referring to glide vehicles deployed by ballistic missiles, can fly at speeds of at least Mach 5 and evade incoming interceptors by changing their flight paths. 

Shin said that the North's hypersonic missiles are targeting the U.S. Forces Japan and other reinforcement troops prepared to engage in contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. 
 
[Sound bite: Defense Minister Shin Won-sik(Korean-English)]
"Because of the hypersonic speed at the end, because [the warhead] glides in the final entry stage, it is very difficult to strike the [hypersonic] missile. In response, we are working on strengthening our missile defense system and improving our 'Kill Chain' capabilities to destroy the launchers, as well as ensuring ways to intercept the missile in mid flight before it begins to glide... "

While refusing to further discuss technical details of classified response measures, Shin said that South Korea and the U.S. are sufficiently capable of dealing with the evolving threats. 

Regarding North Korea's possible launch of its second military spy satellite, the minister said that Pyongyang is expected to conduct the launch in late April at the latest. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.