North Korea’s Kim says new missile will deter ‘rivals’

Kim Jong Un tests hypersonic missile system to deter Pacific rivals, coinciding with U.S. Secretary of State's visit.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a new hypersonic missile system tested this week would help deter the country’s Pacific rivals, state media reported Tuesday (January 7, 2025), as Washington’s top diplomat visited the region.

The test came two weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who previously tried to woo North Korea, and coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the South.

“The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” Mr. Kim, who oversaw the launch, said in comments carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday (January 7, 2025).

KCNA cited the use of a “new compound of carbon fibre” in the missile’s engine, which experts warned could allow Pyongyang to hit further targets with technology to which only the United States, Russia and China currently have access.

“The launch also used a “new comprehensive and effective method” for its flight and guidance control system,” KCNA said.

Mr. Blinken visited on Monday (January 6, 2025) strategic ally South Korea, a fierce rival of the North with whom it technically remains at war. The top U.S. envoy, now in Tokyo, was expected to address issues surrounding Pyongyang in talks with Japan.

It was North Korea’s first launch since November, when it test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).