North Korea test fires hypersonic missile

North Korea’s KCNA state news media said Wednesday the new hypersonic missile met key technical requirements during a test launch a day earlier. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile fired off from the central north province of Jagang on Tuesday morning. KCNA called the missile a significant addition to North Korea's “strategic” weaponry as the country strives to increase its defense capacity by a “thousand-fold.”

How significant is this? The Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday the hypersonic missile is still at an early stage of development and would require “considerable time” before it is ready for operational deployment. The U.S. military in a statement said the launch posed no immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or allies. The test marks North Korea’s third round of launches this month as it opposes U.S. sanctions and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, told South Korea twice last week that her country was open to resuming talks and taking reconciliatory steps if it meets set conditions.

Dig deeper: Read Lynde Langdon’s earlier report in the Sift on North Korea’s previous missile tests.