The Missile Administration of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea successfully conducted a test-fire of new-type intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile on January 6.

Full General Jang Chang Ha, general director of the Missile Administration of the DPRK, and leading officials of the defence science institute guided the test-fire on the spot.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, oversaw the test-fire through a monitoring system.

The test of the new strategic weapon system is part of the plans for the development of the national defence capabilities to raise the durability and effectiveness of the strategic deterrent against the potential enemies in conformity with the changing regional security environment.

A new composite carbon fibre material was used in the manufacture of the engine body of the missile and a new comprehensive and effective method based on the already-accumulated technologies introduced in the flight and guidance control system.

Expressing great satisfaction over the result of the test-fire, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, with regard to the new weapon system, said:

The current test-fire proved without doubt that we are steadily upgrading the powerful new-type weapon systems like the intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile to cope with different security threats posed by the hostile forces against our state at present.

A few countries in the world might possess such a weapon system.

Just like the intended purpose of all military powers, the development of the new-type hypersonic missile is aimed mainly at steadily putting the country’s nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis by placing the means of changing the war situation, a weapon system to which no one can respond, at the core axis of our strategic deterrence.

This is clearly a plan and effort for self-defence, not an offensive plan and action.

As shown by the result of today’s test-fire, the effectiveness of the missile system that fully meets the expected military specifications has been confirmed.

The performance of our latest intermediate-range hypersonic missile system cannot be ignored worldwide, and the system can deal a serious military strike to a rival by effectively breaking any of its dense defensive barriers.

Through the current test of the strategic weapon, we fully demonstrated the potentiality and development speed of our inexhaustible self-defensive technical forces capable of fully coping with even the prospective threats and clearly showed the enemies what we are doing and that we are fully ready to use any means to defend our legitimate interests.

The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any enemies in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state.

We have acquired a technical force which is by no means easy to achieve.

This is a remarkable achievement and a special event in strengthening the self-defensive capabilities, which we should be proud of.

I express thanks to all the researchers and technicians and the workers of munitions industry enterprise, who contributed to the successful development of the new-type strategic weapon system.

The hypersonic glide vehicle of the missile, fired northeastward at a launch site in a suburb of Pyongyang, made a flight along the scheduled trajectory, attaining its first peak height of 99.8 kilometres and the second peak height of 42.5 kilometres at the speed amounting to twelve times of the speed of sound, and accurately landed on the simulated target waters in the open sea 1 500 kilometres away.

The test-fire had no negative impact on the security of the neighbouring countries.

The development of the defence capabilities of the DPRK aiming to be a military power will be further accelerated.