12 January 2022•Update: 12 January 2022
ANKARA
North Korea on Wednesday said it has “successfully” conducted the final test-firing of its newly developed hypersonic missile, state-run media reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un along with other senior government officials witnessed the flight test conducted by the Academy of Defense Science on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The announcement came a day after the South Korean military said that it detected Pyongyang firing a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern sea.
After its release from the rocket booster, a hypersonic glide vehicle demonstrated "glide jump flight" and "corkscrew maneuvering" before hitting a target in waters 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away, the news agency said.
It was North Korea’s second test of its purported newly developed hypersonic missile in a week.
Following Tuesday’s launch, South Korea expressed strong regret and called on Pyongyang to respond to its call for dialogue, according to Yonhap News agency.
"North Korea should choose cooperation for peace over acts that go against efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, such as the latest missile launches, at this critical moment to stabilize the political situation surrounding the peninsula," the agency quoted a South Korean Unification Ministry official as saying.
In October last year, North Korea had confirmed that it developed a hypersonic missile.
Hypersonic missiles usually fly five times the speed of sound, or 6,125 km per hour, giving little time for enemies to respond.
* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
