Sharjah 24 – AFP: Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile, state media said Wednesday, and urged North Korea to press ahead with building more "strategic military muscle" despite international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.
Pictures in state media showed Kim using binoculars to observe the second missile launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week.
Hypersonic missiles are listed among the "top priority" tasks for strategic weapons development in North Korea's five-year plan.
After the launch, Kim said North Korea must "further accelerate the efforts to steadily build up the country's strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity and further modernise the army", according to KCNA.
The Tuesday test, which came as the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss Pyongyang's weapons programme, sparked swift condemnation, with the US State Department branding it a "threat... to the international community."
It was the third reported North Korean test of a hypersonic gliding missile. The first, which took place four months ago, was followed by one last week.
North Korea's state news agency KCNA said the most recent test demonstrated "the superior manoeuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle". It also claimed it accurately hit a target some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away.
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