North Korea –
Kim Jong-un delighted with his new hypersonic missile system
Kim Jong-un believes that his new hypersonic missile system will serve to deter the country’s “rivals” in the Pacific region.
Published today at 11:40 p.m.
Kim Jong-un greets spectators during a performance to celebrate the New Year at the Stadium in Pyongyang.
AFP
Subscribe now and enjoy the audio playback feature.
BotTalk
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the new hypersonic missile system used in a test launch on Monday would help deter the country’s “rivals” in the Pacific region.
“The hypersonic missile system will reliably deter all rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” Kim Jong-un, who oversaw the launch, said in comments carried by the official KCNA news agency. .
Pyongyang fired a missile Monday morning, the first of the year, even though US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Seoul for a farewell tour before Donald Trump’s arrival at home -White.
“The world cannot ignore”
The missile, described by the South Korean military as “presumed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile,” was fired toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
In a statement, the North Korean leader said the missile had traveled 1,500 km – more than the figure of 1,100 km put forward by the South Korean army – and had flown at a speed exceeding twelve times the speed of sound before to sink at sea.
“This is clearly a plan and an effort to defend ourselves, it is not an offensive plan and action,” he assured. He nevertheless added that “the world cannot ignore” the performance of this missile, believing that it was able to “deal a serious military blow to a rival by effectively breaking any dense defensive barrier”.
Condemnations from Washington and Seoul
Kim Jong-un also assured that North Korea would “accelerate” the “development of its defense capabilities in order to become a military power”. Antony Blinken and his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul condemned the shooting.
The last shots, a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles, took place on November 6, a few hours before the presidential election in the United States.
The previous week North Korea tested what it said was its new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the most advanced in its arsenal.
“Latest news”
Want to stay on top of the news? “24 Heures” offers you two appointments per day, directly in your email box. So you don’t miss anything that’s happening in your Canton, in Switzerland or around the world.
Other newsletters
Log in
AFP
Did you find an error? Please report it to us.
0 comments
