North Korea launches intermediate-range ballistic missile into East Sea

North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the East Sea on April 2, marking its third ballistic missile launch of the year, according to South Korean military reports.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the missile, presumed to be of intermediate-range class, was launched from the Pyongyang region at 6:53 a.m. local time, Caliber.Az reports, citing Yonhap.

It travelled approximately 600 kilometres before landing in the East Sea.

Military officials suspect that the missile may have been equipped with a hypersonic warhead, aimed at testing the performance of its delivery system following an engine test conducted by North Korea last month. Pyongyang announced a successful ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate hypersonic missile on March 20.

Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the JCS, highlighted the significance of the launch, stating that although the flight time was relatively short, the missile's speed was comparable to that of a hypersonic missile. Hypersonic missiles, travelling at speeds of at least Mach 5, are known for their manoeuvrability and unpredictable flight paths.

Tuesday's launch follows North Korea's previous ballistic missile tests earlier this year, including a solid-fuel IRBM carrying a hypersonic warhead in January and firing drills involving super-large multiple rocket launchers in February.

The South Korean military condemned the latest missile launch as a "provocative act" and vowed to enhance military vigilance against potential provocations. Additionally, they have been closely monitoring North Korea's activities ahead of significant political events in April, including the country's founder's birthday and the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.