North flexes missile muscle days after South unveils test of hypersonic weapon
As the North Korean missiles traveled markedly different distances than their predecessors, South Korea's officials and analysts are leaning toward the possibility that the missiles were upgraded variants of the Hwasong-11 series.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and his daughter watch as North Korea fires an intermediate-range strategic missile on Oct. 3 in a photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 4.NEWS1
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday morning — with some traveling more than 900 kilometers (559 miles) — raising speculation that the regime had been testing upgraded versions of its existing ballistic missiles.
Analysts believe that the launches may have also been a show of force in response to the South’s disclosure on Thursday that it had conducted its first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), a weapon designed to evade missile defenses by flying at extreme speeds.
The South Korean and U.S. militaries detected several ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area starting at 9:20 a.m. on Monday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
North Korea has typically fired KN-25 superlarge multiple rocket launchers, which have a caliber of 600 millimeters (23.6 inches), during shows of force. This time, however, the missiles traveled markedly different distances than in the past.
As a result, military officials and analysts are leaning toward the possibility that the missiles were upgraded variants of the Hwasong-11 series, or KN-23, often dubbed the North Korean Iskander for its resemblance to the Russian short-range ballistic missile.
In September 2024, North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-11C-4.5, a ballistic missile equipped with a massive 4.5-ton warhead. The latest launches may have been intended to test the missile’s maximum range or study ways to improve its performance.
Seoul has also not ruled out the possibility that Pyongyang conducted another test of the hypersonic missile launched on Oct. 3.
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launches on a television screen at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Oct. 12YONHAP
The timing of the launches has also drawn attention.
The Blue House announced on Thursday that the Agency for Defense Development had conducted its first test launch of an HGV under development, with President Lee Jae Myung in attendance.
The presidential office added that Lee had inspected the Hyunmoo-5, a high-power ballistic missile, that same day.
The following day, the government released 50 photographs and video footage of the test launch and highlighted the South’s deterrence capabilities against the North.
Pyongyang, however, was the first to launch a hypersonic missile in the latest exchange. After the JCS concluded that a North Korean mine had likely caused the blast in the demilitarized zone last month, Pyongyang rejected the accusation as a “farce” and launched a ballistic missile on Oct. 3.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
