LOC10:19
07:19 GMT
TOKYO, Jan 15 (KUNA) -- North Korea announced on Monday that it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead the previous day, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The test-fire was aimed at "verifying the gliding and maneuvering characteristics" of the warhead and "the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines," the report indicated.
North Korea's Missile Administration explained that the test was "a part of the administration and its affiliated defense science institutes' regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems" and "never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation," according to the report.
South Korea's military said on Sunday that Pyongyang launched a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile, which flew about 1,000 km before splashing into the sea, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) did not elaborate further on the specifications of the latest launch, noting that a detailed analysis is underway.
It marked the North's first missile launch since the firing of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18.
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones.
A hypersonic missile is among the list of high-tech weapons that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop at a party congress in 2021 as part of the country's key military projects. (end)
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