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North confirms launch of 'important' hypersonic weapon that could possibly reach APEC host city

Published: 23 Oct. 2025, 17:54 Updated: 23 Oct. 2025, 19:10

These photos from the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 23 show North Korea's missile launch from the previous day. [YONHAP]

North Korea said on Thursday that the missile it launched on Wednesday was a hypersonic weapon, and that it was fired northeast from Pyongyang — a trajectory that, if aimed south, would reach Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, the host city of the Oct. 31 APEC summit.

Analysts say the launch may have been intended to demonstrate the North’s ability to penetrate South Korea’s air defense system ahead of a major diplomatic event involving world leaders while projecting its claim to strategic dominance on the Korean Peninsula.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday that it successfully tested two hypersonic projectiles and called them a new “important” weapon system.

“Two hypersonic projectiles launched from the Ryokpo District, Pyongyang, toward the northeast direction hit the target point on the tableland of Kwesang Peak in Orang County, North Hamgyong Province,” the KCNA said.

Pak Jong-chon, the secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, Kim Jong-sik, the first vice department director of the WPK Central Committee and Jang Chang-ha, the general director of the Missile Administration of North Korea attended the event, according to the report. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was reportedly absent.

“The new cutting-edge weapon system is clear proof of the steadily upgrading self-defensive technical capabilities of North Korea,” Park said. “Our activities are evidently aimed at continuing to bolster the war deterrent, and our purpose is to strengthen self-defense.”

He framed the launch as a defensive measure, which analysts interpret as a move to avoid direct blame for escalating tensions ahead of the APEC summit.

The missile being described as a “flight vehicle” rather than a missile or rocket, as well as Kim’s absence, may also indicate that the North deliberately moderated the tone of the test.

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North Korean Workers’ Party, reports on Oct. 11 that a military parade celebrating the party’s 80th anniversary took place the previous day at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang and feaatured the new hypersonic short-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-11Ma. [NEWS1]

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the launch appears to have been planned independently of external events.

“They wanted to showcase advances in weapons technology,” Im said. “Since they emphasized the defensive nature, it seems the test followed their own timeline.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the military was analyzing the launch, including the claims published in North Korean media.

The JCS assessed that the missile’s trajectory resembled a short-range ballistic missile, and that it did not display key hypersonic features such as a pull-up maneuver in the terminal phase or speeds exceeding Mach 5.

But given the difficulty in tracking hypersonic gliders, the military has not ruled out the possibility that the missile was equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle.

One possibility for the missile's identity that is under review is the Hwasong-11Ma, a variant of the KN-23 missile first shown at a military parade in Pyongyang on Oct. 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea foundation.

South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Son Seok-rak told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit that the military has not yet confirmed whether the missile was a Hwasong-11Ma, but “there are some limitations in detection due to range and flight characteristics.”

Kwon Yong-soo, a professor emeritus at Korea National Defense University, said the Hwasong-11Ma has a peak altitude below 50 kilometers (31 miles) and descends to about 30 kilometers in the final glide phase, making it difficult to track.

The hypersonic missile Hwasong-11Ma appears at a military parade in Pyongyang on Oct. 10, which marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. [YONHAP]

“When launched from the south toward the north, Earth's curvature further limits detection,” Kwon said.

Analysts say North Korea's failure to release images or technical specifications of the missile, aside from claiming it hit its target, could reflect that the weapon is still under development. If the missile was indeed a Hwasong-11Ma, it may have been intended to demonstrate long-range precision strike capabilities.

The missile was introduced in North Korean state media earlier this month as “a powerful system capable of striking enemy targets with high precision within several hundred kilometers.”

South Korean authorities estimated the missile flew about 350 kilometers, though the distance between the launch site and reported impact area is closer to 430 kilometers.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the missile appeared to strike about 5 kilometers from Cheongjin Airport and Orang County in North Hamgyong.

“Targeting a location near Orang County, about 430 kilometers from Ryokpo District, shows a high degree of confidence,” Hong said. “The straight-line distance between the launch site and Gyeongju is approximately 460 kilometers, which raises the possibility that the North calculated the missile’s range to suggest it could reach the APEC host city.

KCNA said the test was part of the “defense capability development program to enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of strategic deterrence against potential enemies.”

If North Korea deployed a hypersonic glide vehicle with the Hwasong-11Ma, it would significantly extend the missile’s range.

“A missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle can generally extend its range by at least 30 percent,” Kwon said. “The threat of hypersonic missiles capable of striking not only the entire Korean Peninsula but also some U.S. military bases in Japan is becoming a reality.”

U.S. Forces Korea issued a statement strongly condemning the launch as “an unlawful and destabilizing act.” It called on North Korea to cease violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

Observers noted that the U.S. military issued a response before South Korea’s government released an official statement — a rare move that may have been influenced by the upcoming APEC summit and U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected visit.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO,LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]