N. Korea says it succeeded in final test-firing of hypersonic missile

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Wednesday that it has conducted a test-firing of a hypersonic missile a day earlier to confirm the new weapons system's technical specifications.

On Tuesday, South Korea's defense ministry said the North fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the East Sea which flew over 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 km and a top speed of Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound.

The North said the projectile hit the "set target in waters 1,000 km off."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the firing.

"The test-fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

It marked the North's second missile launch in less than a week.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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