N. Korea claims to have successfully launched solid
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Jan. 15, shows the North's launch of a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day. Yonhap
North Korea said Monday it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day as part of regular activities to develop powerful weapons systems.
The missile loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead was launched Sunday afternoon in a bid to verify the warhead's gliding and maneuvering capabilities and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It did not disclose the missile's flight details.
The Missile General Bureau said the test is part of the agency and its affiliated defense science institutes' "regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems," according to the KCNA.
North Korea also said the test-fire "never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation."
South Korea's military said Sunday it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m., and the missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
It marked North Korea's first missile launch since firing the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Dec. 18 and its first known firing of a solid-fuel IRBM loaded with a hypersonic warhead.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the repressive regime staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November.
A set of photos carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the North firing what it claimed to be hypersonic missiles. A photo, from left, carried by the KCNA, Jan. 15, shows the North's test-firing of a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day. The two other photos show the country's launch of liquid-propellant hypersonic missiles in January 2022 and September 2021. Yonhap
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as fuel injection.
Seoul military officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. IRBMs have a range of 3,000-5,500 km.
North Korean foreign minister arrives in Russia amid deepening military ties 2024-01-15 09:41 | North Korea Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan condemn N. Korea's missile launch 2024-01-15 10:51 | Foreign AffairsGuam, approximately 3,000 km southeast of North Korea, hosts key U.S. naval and air force bases.
Hypersonic missiles are usually hard to intercept with existing missile defense shields. Such missiles travel at a speed of at least Mach 5 — five times the speed of sound — and they are designed to be maneuverable on unpredictable flight paths and fly at low altitudes.
A hypersonic warhead is among the list of high-tech weapons that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop at a party congress in 2021, along with spy satellites, solid-fuel ICBMs and nuclear-powered submarines.
In September 2021, North Korea said it test-fired the Hwasong-8 hypersonic missile for the first time, followed by two more similar tests powered by liquid fuel in January 2022. South Korea's defense ministry rejected the North's claim as "exaggerated."
South Korea's military did not elaborate further on the specifications of the latest launch, noting that a detailed analysis is under way.
"A comprehensive analysis is still being conducted, so there aren't a lot of details to explain," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a regular briefing Monday.
He also said Seoul, Washington and Tokyo shared warning data on the North's missile in real time through the data-sharing system they fully activated last month in a joint effort to counter the North's military threats.
Meanwhile, Seoul's defense ministry called the Sunday firing a "clear act of provocation" that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions banning the regime from using ballistic missile technology.
It warned of an "overwhelming" response in the event of any direct North Korean provocation against the South.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects a munitions factory in this undated photo captured from the North's Korean Central Television on Jan. 10. Yonhap
Experts said North Korea is expected to further raise tensions with provocative acts ahead of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November.
At a year-end party meeting, the North's leader urged stepped-up war readiness to deter what he called "unprecedented" acts of U.S.-led confrontation against his country.
Branding inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other," he ordered preparations for "a great event to suppress the whole territory" of South Korea in the event of a contingency.
During his inspection of munitions factories last week, Kim also said he has no intention of avoiding war with South Korea and threatened to annihilate the South if Seoul attempts to use force against the North. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:产品中心)
-
Cicadas love to land on people. Experts explain why.
Even on an Air Force base tarmac, a cicada landed on the president's neck. The spectacular emergence ...[详细] -
最香家乡菜一一新西兰广东乡亲广邀朋友共品广东年菜_南方+_南方plus新西兰粤商会企业家共聚一堂,品尝广东年菜年菜启程奔四海,家乡佳肴暖侨心。2月20日,新西兰粤商会在奥克兰举办龙年迎春晚宴暨广东年菜 ...[详细]
-
本报讯1月29日,市生态环境局迎春座谈会召开,共谋2024年生态环境保护工作高质量发展。会议通报了2023年度全市生态环境工作情况。2023年,我市扎实推进美丽雅安建设,编制完成《美丽雅安建设规划纲要 ...[详细]
-
本报讯为践行金融为民理念,扎实做好人民币现金服务,普及人民币相关知识,保障辖区良好流通秩序,2月6日,在人民银行雅安市分行的统一组织指导下,雅安农商银行在市区新民街开展了“现金服务情暖巴蜀”暨数字人民 ...[详细]
-
PRE-ORDER NOW: The new Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) is now available for preorder at Am ...[详细]
-
雅安市文化市场综合行政执法支队开展春节前出版物市场集中执法检查
1月31日至2月3日,雅安市文化市场综合行政执法支队在全市范围开展春节前出版物市场集中执法检查,重点检查书店进货清单,出版物经营单位是否销售盗版教辅资料、非法出版物,是否经营含有诱发未成年人模仿违反社 ...[详细] -
本报讯为践行金融为民理念,扎实做好人民币现金服务,普及人民币相关知识,保障辖区良好流通秩序,2月6日,在人民银行雅安市分行的统一组织指导下,雅安农商银行在市区新民街开展了“现金服务情暖巴蜀”暨数字人民 ...[详细]
-
雅安市图书馆温馨舒适的阅读环境一座城市的图书馆,代表着城市的气质,是这座城市文化的缩影,更是精神文明之花绽放的载体。近年来,雅安市图书馆坚守“传承文明、服务社会”的初心,以精神文明创建为引领,健全创建 ...[详细]
-
Elon Musk's AI facility is reportedly operating gas turbines without a permit
Elon Musk's AI company has caught the attention of environmentalists in Memphis, Tennessee for repor ...[详细] -
机器不停歇、工人不停工、原料不断供、内销外销不断流……刚进入2024年不久,雅化集团各生产基地生产经营呈现出一派只争朝夕的繁忙景象。2024年是中华人民共和国成立75周年,是实施“十四五”规划的一年, ...[详细]