[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Will the Current Government Acknowledge North Korea's Hypersonic Missile?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea's launch of a second suspected hypersonic missile has drawn attention to whether it will be recognized as a hypersonic missile-possessing country. If the current government acknowledges North Korea as a hypersonic missile state, it is widely believed that the peace process on the Korean Peninsula (ceasefire declaration → peace treaty signing → permanent peace regime) will face difficulties, and thus many expect that such recognition will not be granted.

On the 12th, a military official stated, "To recognize a hypersonic missile state, both political and military aspects must be considered, but due to concerns that it conflicts with the peace process and negative public opinion about the inability to present countermeasures, the current government will not do so."

The Ministry of National Defense claimed on the 7th that the performance of the hypersonic missile North Korea fired on the 5th was exaggerated. At that time, the Ministry said, "The speed of North Korea's missile is Mach 6, but it is not a hypersonic missile." In fact, the missile reportedly reached a maximum speed of about Mach 10 at its apex but then decelerated and was detected at speeds below Mach 5. This is also why South Korea and the U.S. currently classify it as a conventional ballistic missile rather than a 'hypersonic' one.

In the case of hypersonic missiles, it is known that after the first-stage booster separates during ascent, the missile maintains speeds above Mach 5 during the gliding or descending phase. For this reason, North Korea's Rodong missile series reaches speeds of about Mach 9 to 10 during ascent, and the Musudan missile reaches up to about Mach 14, but these are not classified as hypersonic missiles.

However, North Korea boldly launched a missile whose speed nearly doubled from Mach 6 to Mach 10. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also notified the press corps at 8:38 a.m. that day, stating, "At 7:27 a.m., a ballistic missile suspected projectile launched by North Korea was detected," but did not disclose detailed specifications. This has led to assessments that even the military was caught off guard.

Military experts expect North Korea to continue additional launches to improve the completeness of its hypersonic missiles. If North Korea succeeds in developing hypersonic missiles, it will become the fourth country after the United States, Russia, and China.

There is also an opinion that North Korea may carry out further provocations in response to the military authorities underestimating its capabilities. Last September, when South Korean military authorities did not acknowledge the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launch, North Korea conducted another test launch the following month in October.

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