South Korea test-flies its first home-grown hypersonic weapon
South Korea flight-tested on Thursday its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon, designed to fly at least five times the speed of sound and evade missile defence systems, bringing Seoul closer to what it says could be game-changing weapons capabilities. There was no immediate response from North Korea, which last week tested its own hypersonic missile that landed in the waters near…
On Thursday, South Korea successfully tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon, capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound, in a move aimed at enhancing its conventional defense capabilities. The weapon, which separates from its booster rocket at the planned altitude, then maneuvers vertically and horizontally before hitting a target.
President Lee Jae Myung attended the test, emphasizing the significance of the development in strengthening the country's defense capabilities. The exact location of the test was not disclosed. South Korea aims to use this weapon to strike key targets in a surprise attack on the Korean peninsula. The test comes amid heightened tensions between the Koreas, following landmine explosions that injured three South Korean soldiers near the heavily armed inter-Korean border.
South Korea and the U.S.-led United Nations Command concluded that the blasts were caused by devices planted by North Korea, which has denied responsibility. North Korea has also intensified its weapons testing activities, with its leader Kim Jong-un expanding its military nuclear program and taking a more aggressive stance towards Seoul.
North Korea has so far rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to resume talks, demanding that Washington abandon its "hostile" policy and drop demands for its denuclearization as a precondition. The tensions have also set back Lee's efforts to engage with North Korea and strengthen South Korea's conventional defense capabilities while reducing reliance on the U.S. In response, North Korea launched a hypersonic intermediate-range missile on October 3, which it claimed flew over 1,000km, while South Korea detected it flying over 700km and Japan's defense ministry assessed it at around 680km.
North Korea's sister, Kim Yo-jong, claimed the differing flight estimates showed that the U.S. allies were unable to properly track such a missile and would therefore not be able to intercept it.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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