North Korea has claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8 on Tuesday.
Photo: STR / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP
State media said the new missile was one of the "five most important" new weapons systems laid out in its five-year military development plan.
They called the new missile a "strategic weapon", which usually means it has nuclear capabilities.
Tuesdays launch is another indication of Pyongyang's growing weapons technology amid strict sanctions.
It also marked the country's third missile test this month.
It has already revealed a new type of cruise missile, as a well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.
At a military meeting in January, leader Kim Jong-un declared that scientists had "finished research" into developing hypersonic gliding warheads.
He also outlined a "wish list" of weapons in his speech.
Talks to dismantle North Korea's arsenal in return for sanctions relief remain stalled and Pyongyang seems determined to prove it will continue to develop new weapons systems despite international condemnation.
The US military said in a statement on Tuesday that it was aware of the missile launch but that it posed no immediate threat to US personnel or its allies.
However, the US Indo-Pacific Command said that the launch "highlighted the destabilising impact of [North Korea's] illicit weapons program".
It has not commented on the country's latest claim.
- BBC
