North Korea tests new hypersonic missile

(News 1st); North Korea fired a projectile off its east coast yesterday (28), which the State News identified as a newly developed hypersonic missile, is the latest in a series of new weapons tested by the isolated state. North Korea fired the missile towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, as Pyongyang called on the United States and South Korea to scrap their "double standards" on weapons programs to restart diplomatic talks. The development of the weapon system increases North Korea's defense capabilities, while KCNA described the hypersonic missile as a "strategic weapon". Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories, hypersonic weapons fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200 km per hour (3,853 miles per hour). The test could mean that the country is joining an accelerating race to deploy the weapon now involving the United States, Russia and China. North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for U.S. sanctions relief.