North Korea Claims Kim Jong-un Attended Hypersonic Missile Launch Test, First Since March 2020

JAKARTA - North Korea's state media said on Wednesday the country had a successful test launch of a hypersonic missile, with leader Kim Jong-un attending the launch for the first time in more than a year.

On Tuesday, authorities in South Korea and Japan detected a suspected launch, which drew criticism from authorities in Washington and Tokyo and prompted expressions of concern from the UN secretary-general.

The second test in less than a week underscores Leader Kim's New Year's promise to bolster the military with cutting-edge technology at a time when talks with South Korea and the United States have stalled.

This is the first time since March 2020 that Kim has officially attended a missile test.

"His presence here would suggest special attention to this program," Ankit Panda, a senior research fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, posted on Twitter.

Unlike some recent tests, the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun published photos of Kim attending the launch on its front page.

"While Kim may be unofficially attending other tests in the meantime, this appearance and his Page One feature on Rodong Sinmun are important," said Chad O'Carroll, chief executive of Korea Risk Group, which monitors North Korea.

"That means Kim is not concerned personally with (with) a big new technology test. And it doesn't matter how the US sees this."

A UN Security Council resolution prohibits all North Korean ballistic and nuclear missile tests and has imposed sanctions on the program.

Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up or limit its arsenal of nuclear and missile weapons have stalled, with Pyongyang saying it is open to diplomacy but only if the United States and its allies stop hostile policies, such as sanctions or military exercises.

Photos released by state media appear to show the same type of missile and warhead that was first tested last week, analysts said.

"The test is aimed at final verification of the overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system," state news agency KCNA reported.

South Korean officials have questioned the missile's capabilities after its first test last week, saying it did not appear to exhibit the range and maneuverability claimed in state media reports and featured a maneuverable warhead rather than an actual glide vehicle.

However, on Tuesday, South Korea said a second test appeared to show improved performance, with the missile reaching a top speed of up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,348 km per hour / 7,673 miles per hour), although they did not comment on its maneuverability.

"The superior maneuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle was more strikingly verified through the last test fire," KCNA said.

Leader Kim urged military scientists to "further accelerate efforts to continuously build up the country's strategic military strength both in quality and quantity and further modernize the army," KCNA added.