The US on Tuesday condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launch, saying it violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions and poses a threat to its neighbors and the international community, a State Department spokesperson said.
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North Korea began the New Year with increasingly capable missile tests, including at least one it claims was a hypersonic missile, amid an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range weapons that are harder to detect and intercept.
South Korean military officials have cast doubts on North Korea’s claim a missile fired last week was hypersonic, but on Tuesday officials in Seoul said the North appeared to have test another missile that flew at relatively low altitudes at up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,348 kmh/7,673 mph).
North Korea did not immediately confirm the launch. The performance and the launch location reported by South Korea, however, suggested it may be another hypersonic missile.
North Korea tested its first such missile last year, joining other countries such as China, US and Russia, which have conducted tests of hypersonic weapons in recent months.
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