North Korea announced on Monday that it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile(IRBM).
 
In a statement carried by the North’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA), the Missile General Bureau carried out a test-fire of a solid-fuel IRBM loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead the previous day, adding the test-fire was successful.
 
The bureau reportedly said that the test-fire never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation, claiming that the development of powerful weapons systems is one of the country's regular activities.
 
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Sunday that North Korea fired a suspected IRBM from the North’s capital city of Pyongyang toward the East Sea at around 2:55 p.m.   

The JCS said the missile flew about one thousand kilometers before falling into the East Sea.

[Photo : YONHAP News]