North Korea (DPRK) confirmed on January 6 that it had tested a hypersonic missile the day before.
As reported by the South Korean agency Renhap, the DPRK estimated the missile’s flight range at 700 km. In addition, North Korean sources said that the shell “hit the target exactly.”
According to the agency, the projectile flew up 120 km.
It is clarified that the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, was not present at the launch.
The fact that the DPRK had fired an unidentified projectile towards the Sea of Japan, presumably a ballistic missile, became known on the morning of January 5. In Japan, against the background of such information, the crisis headquarters of the office of the prime minister of the state was urgently convened.
On the same day, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that there was no damage to national ships and aircraft from the DPRK’s launch of the alleged ballistic missile. Kishi noted that the ministry is currently continuing to analyze data on the launch of the projectile.
He also said that the rocket, according to preliminary calculations, fell outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
In turn, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the possible launch of a ballistic missile from the DPRK unfortunate. And the secretary general of the Japanese government, Hirokazu Matsuno, pointed out the threat to the security of the whole world from the launch of a North Korean missile.
This is North Korea’s first launch this year. The last one took place in October 2021. The DPRK then confirmed the launch of a ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submarine towards the Sea of Japan.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
