Kim Jong-un oversees hypersonic missile test, urges stronger deterrent
Kim Jong-un supervised the launch of an intermediate-range missile and called for continuous strengthening of North Korea’s offensive deterrent.
North Korea conducted an intermediate-range missile firing at dawn, targeting the East Sea as a training exercise for its hypersonic strategic weapon system. Kim Jong-un oversaw the launch alongside his daughter Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju, and his sister Kim Yo-jong quickly disclosed the test, claiming regional tracking systems were inadequate. The missile reportedly hit a target 1,000 km away, with South Korean military noting a flight path of over 700 km from the Wonsan area.
The South Korean defense ministry stated the missile was within detection and interception range of its and U.S. forces and condemned the act as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The test follows heightened tensions after a DMZ land-mine explosion that injured South Korean soldiers, which Pyongyang denies responsibility for. Officials urged North Korea to halt actions that raise peninsula tensions and to pursue peace efforts.
Why it matters
The test highlights North Korea’s advancing missile capabilities and raises regional security concerns.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 EU prepares sanctions on North Korean elite camp hosting Ukrainian children
- Sep 24 Zelenskyy publicly announced the transfer of the two North Korean POWs at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 27 Parliamentary opposition pressed the government for a public rationale after the UN disclosure.
- Sep 29 South Korea formally summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires and demanded an apology for the UN disclosure.
- Sep 29 Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok claimed the military rejected United Nations Command demands for swift site access after the September 21 blasts that injured three soldiers. They argue the delay was meant to conceal evidence of a North Korean wooden-box mine and that the joint investigation was only advanced after public pressure. South Korean and UNC personnel entered the DMZ on Saturday to secure a route and prepare for the upcoming probe.
- Oct 2 South Korean intelligence briefed the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee about Ukraine's request for secrecy in the transfer.
- Oct 2 President Lee publicly warned Ukraine of possible retaliation if it does not apologise for the disclosure.
- Oct 2 South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported a ballistic missile launch from North Korea’s Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Saturday morning, following Kim Yo-jong’s dismissal of inter-Korean talks.
- Oct 3 South Korea’s National Security Council met urgently to evaluate the missile launch.
- Oct 3 Kim Yo‑jong publicly dismissed Seoul’s apology demand as despicable.
- Oct 3 North Korea claimed the missile incorporated artificial‑intelligence to alter its low‑altitude trajectory.
In this story
Related stories
20 in this thread