North Korea Tests ‘Cutting-Edge’ Hypersonic Weapon System to Boost Defenses

North Korea on Thursday announced it had successfully tested a “cutting-edge” new weapon system featuring hypersonic missiles, saying the move was aimed at strengthening its defenses against adversaries.

According to South Korea’s military, the launch took place on Wednesday and marked Pyongyang’s first such test in months. The timing comes just a week before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are set to arrive in South Korea for a major regional summit.

Top military official Pak Jong Chon said the new system “clearly proves the steady advancement of the DPRK’s self-defensive technical capabilities,” the state-run KCNA reported, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name. The test, KCNA added, was designed to improve the “sustainability and effectiveness of strategic deterrence against potential enemies.”

Leader Kim Jong Un was notably absent from the launch, according to state media. KCNA said two “hypersonic projectiles” were fired from south of Pyongyang and struck a target in the country’s northeast.

Photos released by KCNA showed a missile streaking through the sky before hitting its target in an explosion of dark smoke and debris.

Hypersonic missiles, capable of traveling at more than five times the speed of sound, can maneuver during flight—making them significantly harder to detect and intercept.