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North Korea Claims It Tested a Hypersonic Missile

North Korea claimed Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile. The advanced weapon system could be harder to defend and continues to expand the country's military power.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, posted a picture of a test launch of a hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8. It said Tuesday's launch was successful and met the technical requirements of a "detached hypersonic gliding² warhead." It means the warhead could come off the rocket and move in flight toward a target.

A hypersonic missile, also known as a Hypersonic Glide³ Vehicle, can fly much faster than the speed of sound. It can fly very low making it harder for current missile defense⁴ systems to recognize. It can also be controlled in flight, which means it can move away from other missiles making it harder to defend.

Adam Mount is an expert at the Federation⁵ of American Scientists. He said the hypersonic missile is designed to get through defense systems like the one operated by South Korea and the U.S.

South Korea's Joint⁶ Chiefs of Staff, however, estimated the North Korean missile to be at an early stage of development. It said North Korea would need "considerable time" to be able to deploy⁷ the missile.

Missile tests return

North Korea started testing missiles again in 2019 after talks with the United States failed.

The launch of the hypersonic missile was North Korea's third round of missile tests this month. It took place shortly before a North Korean diplomat⁸ at the United Nations General Assembly accused the United States of hostility⁹ and demanded an end to joint military exercises with South Korea.

The missile is similar to a short-range missile that North Korea tested two years ago called the KN-23. However, the new missile has a warhead that can come off the rocket and continue toward a target. This kind of warhead could be attached to a more powerful rocket and strike a target on another continent.

Vipin Narang is a nuclear security and political science expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said this kind of missile would present "a big problem for the U.S." He added it could be hard to find and the warhead could be difficult to defend.

North Korea also claimed that it used a faster and more stable process to add rocket fuel. The process places rocket fuel in containers for storage and could be quickly added to the rocket before launch. In the past, North Korean rockets needed to be fueled at the launch site which took more time and opened the launch to attack.

North Korea's missile tests also include weapons that could be launched from vehicles, trains, and possibly even submarines. As a result, the missiles will be harder to find and destroy in the event of a war.

Mount said the U.S. and South Korea alliance "will have to be ready for anything in a crisis." He noted¹⁰ that North Korea showed some weapons but they may not yet be fully¹ tested.

Words in This Story

glide – v. to fly without engine power

flight – n. the act of flying : the act of moving through the air by the use of wings

stage – n. a particular point or period in the growth or development of something

stable – adj. having a chemical structure or physical state that does not change easily

site – n. a place that is used for a particular activity

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

3 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

8 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

9 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。