North Korea’s hypersonic missiles send message to Biden: they can hit US back

The recent tests give Kim Jong-un leverage in future talks by allowing him to menace US allies such as South Korea and Japan, as well as American bases in Asia

Kim is also likely trying to prove he can strengthen Pyongyang’s position among the world’s nuclear-armed nations despite economic sanctions

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The launch on Tuesday was North Korea’s second test of a hypersonic glider in less than a week. Photo: KCNA via dpa

Published: 12:45pm, 13 Jan 2022

Just before dawn on Tuesday, Kim Jong-un watched as a hypersonic missile took flight, “leaving behind it a column of fire,” and adding a new weapon in his arsenal that could potentially slip past US defences and deliver a nuclear bomb.

The rocket deployed a hypersonic glide vehicle that successfully hit a target at sea after flying roughly 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) and performing a 240-kilometre “corkscrew” manoeuvre, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

Kim supervised the launch, making his first reported appearance at a weapons test in almost two years and underscoring the importance of a missile that would “help bolster the war deterrent of the country.”

While North Korea’s claims weren’t immediately verified, the launch was symbolic of a shift in the regime’s testing programme. For more than two years, Kim has been focused on churning out a range of missiles developed to evade allied defence systems and make the idea of any US-led pre-emptive attack too costly to contemplate.

That may help deter another confrontation with the US like in 2017, when former president Donald Trump threatened “fire and fury” and officials talked of a “bloody nose” strike on the country. The tests show that Kim pressed ahead with plans to ward off any future attacks, even after Trump opened unprecedented face-to-face negotiations the next year.