North Korea conducts second missile test in 2 days as Blinken visits region — this one was hypersonic, Pyongyang claims
CBSJan 08
NKorea Claims New Intermediate-Range Hypersonic Missile Will Deter Rivals
story
Above: Yonhap news TV broadcast at Seoul Railway Station shows the launch of a hypersonic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Jan. 6, 2025. Image copyright: Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
North Korea's state media reported on Tuesday that the leader Kim Jong Un said that a newly tested hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) will "reliably contain any enemies" in the Pacific region.
This comes as Pyongyang claims to have successfully test-fired its new system on Monday, with the missile allegedly flying 1.5K kilometers (932 miles) northeast at 12 times the speed of sound and reaching two different peaks of 99.8 kilometers (65 miles) and 42.5 kilometers (26.4 miles).
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The world just cannot ignore the successful performance of North Korea's newly tested intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, so Pyongyang's goal to ramp up its own deterrence and defense has been achieved. Now, the enemies of North Korea better think twice before trying to harm its security.
Pro-establishment narrative
Pyongyang is likely to have exaggerated the flight distance and the very existence of a second peak, but one can never overestimate the threat that North Korea poses to the free world — especially now that the reclusive nuclear-armed state is deepening its military alliance with Russia.
