SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea claimed on Thursday to have conducted the second successful test flight of a hypersonic missile, days after leader Kim Jong Un pledged to bolster his military forces despite the pandemic-related difficulties.
Wednesday s launch, the North's first known weapons test in about two months, indicates that the country will push ahead with plans to modernize its nuclear and missile arsenals rather than return to disarmament talks anytime soon.
The results of the missile test, observed by leading weapons officials, was great news for the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Hypersonic weapons flying at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose critical challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. It is not known whether and how soon North Korea can manufacture such a high-tech missile, but it is among a wish list of sophisticated military assets that Kim disclosed early last year, including a multi-warhead missile, spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles and underwater nuclear missiles.
Wednesday was the second of its kind since North Korea launched a hypersonic missile last September.
The success in the test launches in the hypersonic missile sector has strategic significance in that they haveten a task for modernizing the strategic armed force of the state, a KCNA dispatch said.
The word strategic implies that the missile is being developed to deliver nuclear weapons.
KCNA said the missile made a 120 kilometer long 75 mile lateral movement before hitting a target 700 kilometers 435 miles away. The test confirmed the flight control and stability of the missile and verified its fuel capsule under the winter weather conditions.
While North Korea appears to have made progress in the development of a hypersonic missile, it still needs more test flights to determine whether or not it meets its tactical objectives or how advanced a hypersonic weapon it can develop, said Lee Choon Geun, an expert and honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute.
A photo of the launch shows that the upper parts of the missiles launched in September and this week have different shapes. Lee said that North Korea is testing two versions of warheads for a missile still under development or it is developing two different types of hypersonic missiles.
He said that the missile's reported lateral movement would provide the weapon with a greater maneuverability to evade enemy missile defense systems.
Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean StudiesNorth Korean Studies in Seoul, said North Korea will likely go ahead with its arms build-up plans without being affected by external factors like the Beijing Olympics in February, the South Korean presidential election in March and a possible change in the Biden administration s North Korea policy.
North Korea does not have to worry about what China would think when it conducts weapons tests because of the U.S. decision to boycott the Beijing Olympics.
China is North Korea's last major ally and aid benefactor. Some experts said that North Korea would not launch any provocations until the Beijing Olympics ended.
Tae Yongho, a former North Korean diplomat who now serves as a lawmaker in South Korea, wrote on Facebook that Pyongyang is keeping its borders shut due to fears about the Pandemic. He said that Pyongyang is still working on improving its missile technology to boost its position in any future negotiations.
The North's latest launch was first detected by its neighbors.
The U.S. military called it a ballistic missile launch that highlights the destabilizing impact of North Korea's illicit weapons program, while South Korea and Japan expressed concerns or regrets over the launch. China, for its part, called for dialogue and said that all parties concerned should keep in mind the big picture and be cautious with their words and actions. Five countries on the UN Security Council - the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and Albania -- asked the UN Security Council to hold consultations Monday on North Korea's launch of the hypersonic missile, U.N. diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement.
The U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear program is stalled since 2019 due to disputes over international sanctions on the North. The Biden administration has repeatedly demanded resuming nuclear diplomacy anywhere and anytime without preconditions, but North Korea has argued the U.S. must withdraw its hostility against it before any talks can start.
During the last week s plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party, Kim Jong Un pledged to expand his country's military capabilities without publicly presenting any new positions on Washington and Seoul.
The North s advancing nuclear arsenal is the heart of Kim's rule, and he spelt it a powerful treasured sword that thwarts potential U.S. aggressions. During his 10 year rule he conducted an unusually large number of weapons tests in order to acquire an ability to launch nuclear strikes on the American mainland. His country's economy has suffered badly in the past two years due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the sanctions and his government's mismanagement.