NewsRescue
North Korea has tested a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead, the Korean Central Telegraphic Agency (KCTA) announced on Monday.
The launch came amid rising tensions with Pyongyang’s southern neighbour, Seoul, which recently conducted military drills with the United States near the North’s border.
“On January 14, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s [DPRK] Missile General Bureau performed a test launch of a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic manoeuvrable warhead,” the KCTA said, adding that the mission was successful.
The test launch had no affect on neighbouring countries’ security and had nothing to do with the “regional situation,” according to the news agency.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused Seoul of being “most hostile” and of attempting to undermine Pyongyang’s rule.
South Korea had already ordered the evacuation of several of its border islands while North Korea practiced live-fire drills along their dangerous maritime boundary. The manoeuvres occurred immediately after joint US-South Korean drills in the vicinity, which the North deemed “reckless.”
Seoul’s Defence Ministry criticised the recent launch, threatening a “overwhelming response” if the North commits a “direct provocation.”
