People watch a North Korean missile launch on a television at a railway station in South Korea. The image was taken by Chung Sung-Jun.
North Korea's weapons program appears to be getting more advanced.
The rogue nation claims that it conducted a successful test of a new hypersonic vehicle on Wednesday.
A statement from the state-run Korean Central News Agency said that the vehicle aced a 75-mile maneuver and hit a target over 700 miles from the launch site.
The control and stability of the hypersonic gliding warhead was demonstrated by the test launch.
North Korea has a rocket and missile program.
The first ever hypersonic test launch by North Korea took place on September 28. The Hwasong 8 missile that flew on Wednesday was different from the one that was used in that trial.
It looks like the North Koreans identified hypersonic gliders as a military requirement, probably because they perceive this to be effective at dealing with BMD. Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Nuclear Policy Program, said on Wednesday that they likely authorized at least two separate development programs after that.
Hypersonic vehicles travel at least five times faster than sound. Their main selling point is maneuverability. Hypersonics are more difficult to track and knock out than intercontinental missiles because they're so fast.
The United States, Russia and China have prioritized the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years, viewing them as potential game-changers in conflicts to come. The calculation was made by North Korea.
The rest of the world tracks the missile and weapons programs of North Korea because it has nuclear weapons and is run by a dictator who is prone to making threats against the United States, Japan, South Korea and other perceived enemies.
Over the past decade and a half, the United Nations Security Council has imposed numerous weapons-related sanctions on North Korea. North Korea continues to violate the measures. The nation conducted four test launches last fall, including the Hwasong 8 liftoff.
The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said it was regrettable that North Korea had launched missiles. The Japanese government will increase its warning and surveillance.
" Out There" is a book about the search for alien life and was illustrated by Karl Tate. You can follow him on the social networking site. Follow us on social media.
