[Comprehensive] JCS: "Hypersonic Missile in Early Development Stage... Interception Possible"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 29th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated regarding North Korea's hypersonic missile "Hwasong-8" launched the previous day, "Considering the detected speed and other specifications, it is judged to be in the early stages of development, and it will take a considerable amount of time before it is deployed in actual combat." It is unusual for the military authorities to officially confirm North Korea's development of a new missile.

Generally, missiles are classified as hypersonic when they reach speeds above Mach 5, but the speed of the North Korean missile detected by South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies was around Mach 3, leading to the assessment that it is in the early development stage.

It is understood that North Korea has launched missiles six times this year, but Chairman Kim did not attend any of these launches. This is also interpreted as considering that the new weapons are still in the testing and development phase. North Korean media did not disclose specific specifications such as missile range and speed, only confirming technical indicators, suggesting that the test launches may not have been completed. The South Korean military detected a projectile launched eastward from the Mupeong-ri area in Jagang Province at around 6:40 a.m. the previous day, with a flight distance of less than 200 km and an altitude of about 30 km.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on the same day, "Currently, it is assessed that detection and interception are possible with the combined South Korea-U.S. assets." This denies the evaluation that North Korea has reached the stage of test-launching a hypersonic missile, considered a "next-generation game changer," and that urgent supplementation of the missile defense (MD) network by South Korea and the U.S. military authorities is needed.

Some view North Korea's hypersonic weapon development level as far behind advanced countries but see significance in taking the first step toward weaponization. Once development is complete, the missile can glide by changing its flight path even if detected by enemy radar, making trajectory calculation and interception very difficult. Hypersonic missiles, which rush toward their targets at speeds more than five times the speed of sound, are virtually impossible to intercept with existing MD systems and have been developed by the U.S., China, Russia, and others.

The military authorities predict that since North Korea has taken the first step toward developing hypersonic missiles this time, there is a high possibility of additional test launches for stabilizing gliding flight, precise guidance functions, and extending range. North Korea has named its liquid-fueled short-range, quasi-medium-range, and medium-range ballistic missile types such as Scud-B (Hwasong-5), Scud-C (Hwasong-6), Scud-ER (Hwasong-9), and Musudan (Hwasong-10) as "Hwasong." Naming this projectile "Hwasong-8" appears to be related to this convention.

Until now, the military authorities have evaluated that North Korea is phasing out existing liquid-fueled missiles like Scud and Nodong and replacing them with new solid-fueled ballistic missiles such as the "Iskander" (KN-23).

A military official said, "Since the information publicly reported by North Korea alone may cause public anxiety, we explained the Joint Chiefs of Staff's position based on the current level of information."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.