North Korea says hypersonic missile test enters final development stage

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency announced a test of an intermediate-range strategic missile toward the East Sea, accompanied by images of a hypersonic missile with a distinct cone-shaped nose and an elongated fuselage compared with a version displayed two weeks prior. The regime claimed the weapon is now in the final stages of development. Leader Kim Jong-un observed the drill with his daughter Kim Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju, while his sister Kim Yo-jong said regional militaries failed to track the missile because of its sophisticated flight profile.

South Korea's defense ministry said its forces detected the launch, tracked the missile from liftoff, and identified the launch site, rejecting Pyongyang's claim of detection failure. Shin Jong-woo of the Korea Defense and Security Forum noted the missile resembles the conical hypersonic type tested in 2022.