Kim Jong Un says North Korea ‘cannot be ignored’ after success of new hypersonic missile
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Pyongyang claims new missile system uses advanced carbon fibre technology. Kim Jong Un warned that North Korea’s rivals could not ignore its new hypersonic ballistic missile, which was tested while US secretary of state Antony Blinken was visiting South Korea on Monday.
![[Kim Jong Un oversees the missile test with his daughter]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/07/04/2192197486.jpg)
He said the new missile system would “reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region” without naming chief rival, America, or neighbours South Korea and Japan. The missile was fired from a suburb in the capital Pyongyang and flew 1500km at about 12 times the speed of sound, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday. It attained two different peaks of 99.8km and 42.5km before striking a sea target.
South Korean and Japanese military forces had confirmed the launch soon after the missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan. The range of the intermediate missile was enough to hit American military bases in Guam, the agency noted. “The performance of our latest intermediate hypersonic missile system cannot be ignored worldwide, and the system can deal a serious military strike to a rival while effectively breaking any dense defensive barrier,” Mr Kim, who oversaw the test through a monitoring system, said.
“This is a clear achievement and a special event in strengthening the self-defensive capabilities of which we should be proud.”. The missile’s engine reportedly used a new compound of carbon fibre, a significant technological development for Pyongyang if confirmed.
