North Korea on Tuesday tested an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) ¡ª possibly loaded with a hypersonic warhead ¡ª just over a week before a key general election in South Korea.
South Korean military officials said they suspected the launch, which would be Pyongyang¡¯s second IRBM test this year, may have been intended to gauge the weapon¡¯s performance after it tested a solid-fuel engine for a ¡°new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile¡± on March 19.
In January, the North also conducted a test of an IRBM loaded with what it said was ¡°a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead.¡±
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