North Korea claims successful test of a hypersonic missile

Seoul — North Korea has successfully tested a new hypersonic gliding missile, state media reported Wednesday, in what would be the nuclear-armed nation's latest advance in weapons technology. Tuesday's launch was of "great strategic significance," the official Korean Central News Agency said, as the North seeks to increase its defense capabilities a "thousand-fold."

Hypersonic missiles move much faster and are more agile than standard ones, making them much harder for missile defense systems — on which the U.S. is spending billions — to intercept. However, South Korean officials said the North still appeared to be a "considerable time" from finalizing the new weapon, and that defense systems shared with the U.S. were capable of stopping it.

The launch from Jagang province "confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile", along with its "guiding maneuverability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead" and the engine, according to KCNA, which called it the Hwasong-8.