North Korea fired the missile towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, as Pyongyang called on the United States and South Korea to scrap their "double standards" on weapons programs to restart diplomatic talks.
The development of the weapon system increases North Korea’s defence capabilities, KCNA said, describing the hypersonic missile as a “strategic weapon”.
Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories, hypersonic weapons fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km per hour.
The test could mean the North is joining an accelerating race to deploy the weapon now involving the United States, Russia and China.
North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for US sanctions relief.
The United States and members of the United Nations Security Council have imposed several rounds of sanctions on North Korea since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006. 219
