North Korea says it tested solid-fuel missile tipped with hypersonic weapon

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea claims it has flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead as it pursues more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons designed to strike remote U.S. targets in the region. The report Monday by North Korea’s state media came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the launch from a site near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, in what was the North’s first ballistic test of 2024. The launch came two months after North Korea it successfully tested engines for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which reflected a push to advance its lineup of weapons targeting U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan.