South Korea tests weapon capable of flying at five times the speed of sound

Com this type of weapon, Seoul approaches what it considers to be transformative weapons capabilities.

There is, for the moment, no response from North Korea, which last week tested its own hypersonic missile, which fell in the waters near Japan.

In a statement, where the location of the test is not specified, it is early that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the launch.

The weapon separated from the rocket thruster at its intended altitude, descended and maneuvered vertically and horizontally before reaching a test target. He added that, once developed, the weapon will be able to reach by surprise important targets in the “Operation Theatre of the Korean Peninsula”.

Lee stressed that South Korea “must guarantee security through its own force” and also inspected today the most powerful South Korean ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, informed his office. No direct comments from Lee on North Korea were mentioned.

Tensions between the two Koreas have increased in recent weeks after three South Korean soldiers were injured in landmine explosions last month near the heavily armed inter-Korean border.

The South Korean armed forces and the United Nations Command, led by the United States, concluded that the explosions were caused by devices placed by North Korea, which denied responsibility and ridiculed the South's demands for an apology.

North Korea has also intensified weapons testing activity, while its leader, Kim Jong Un, expands its military nuclear program and takes an increasingly tougher position in relation to Seoul.

Kim has so far rejected the calls of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to resume diplomacy between the two countries, interrupted in 2019, with Pyongyang demanding that Washington abandon the “hostile” policy towards the North Koreans and withdraw the demands for denuclearization as a precondition for negotiations.

Tensions were a setback for Lee, who advocates dialogue with North Korea and moderated his speech towards the North, even with the increase of public indignation due to the explosions of the mines.

Lee also called for the strengthening of South Korea's conventional defense capabilities while reducing its dependence on the United States, which unilaterally decided to reduce the size of an important military exercise with the South in August, with Trump invoking his “very good relationship” with Kim.

In its latest weapons test, in 03 this month, North Korea launched what it described as a hypersonic mid-range missile, which, according to Pyongyang, has traveled more than 1,000 kilometers. Japan claimed that the missile fell into waters outside its exclusive economic zone.

South Korea claimed to have detected the missile flying more than 700 kilometers, while Japan's Ministry of Defense indicated that it had assessed that the missile had travelled some 680 kilometers.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, said today that the different flight estimates presented by the two United States allies showed that they are unable to properly track a missile of this type during the flight and therefore would not be able to intercept it.

On the other hand, it demanded that South Korea show “more respect” for Pyongyang if it wishes to resume the dialogue.

“ If they really want to re-establish relations between the DPRK and South Korea, they should take into account the feelings of the other party in each word and in each action, starting by showing more respect, greater consideration and sincerity,” Kim Yo-jong said in a statement released by the official media, using the official name of North Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (PRDC).