North Korea touts new features of hypersonic missile launched Jan. 6

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly stated the launch “clearly showed our rivals what we are doing and that we are fully prepared to use any means to protect our legitimate interests.” Pyongyang also warned that the missile would “reliably deter any rivals in the Pacific region.”

North Korea reported the missile traveled about 1,500 kilometers at 12 times the speed of sound. The missile’s engine body, Pyongyang claims, was made with a composite material incorporating carbon fiber.

However, South Korean military officials estimate the missile’s range at around 1,100 kilometers, with its impact point in the Sea of Japan. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier suggested that North Korea might have received technical support for the missile’s development from Russia.

Ankit Panda, a nuclear weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the launch of such a weapon “is not surprising.”

“We know North Korea has been working with composite materials for use in missiles for several years. These materials enhance performance and payload reliability. Better materials increase the likelihood that the missiles will reach their targets,” he told the BBC.

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation noted that while hypersonic weapons have existed for decades, recent advancements make them significantly more maneuverable, enabling faster atmospheric re-entry and complex maneuvers.

Although hypersonic missiles can be detected using space-based sensors, reports suggest interception technologies may counter these missiles despite their unpredictable trajectories. Most interception efforts likely focus on the final stage of flight, as the missiles slow after extended atmospheric travel.

While in Seoul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. believes Russia plans to share advanced space and satellite technologies with North Korea.

He added that Moscow “may be close to abandoning” its longstanding commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by recognizing Pyongyang as a nuclear power.

During a meeting with South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang Mok, Blinken called the U.S.-South Korea alliance “the cornerstone of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

South Korea’s military stated it has heightened monitoring of future North Korean missile launches and is “closely sharing information” with the U.S. and Japan.

Pyongyang last conducted missile tests in Nov., launching at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast a day before U.S. presidential elections.

That same week, the U.S. flew a long-range bomber during trilateral military drills with South Korea and Japan.