North Korea on Wednesday said that it has successfully tested a new hypersonic missile in the latest weapons demonstration from the rogue nation.
The Korean Central News Agency, the country’s state media, reported that the test was the first test flight of the “detached hypersonic gliding warhead” that met important technical requirements, The Associated Press reported.
The missile test happened on Tuesday while North Korea’s United Nations envoy, Kim Song, was telling the U.N. General Assembly the U.S. needed to stop its “hostile” policies toward the country.
The missile was originally thought by Japan to be a ballistic missile. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the hypersonic missile needed “considerable time” to work operationally and it is in the early development stages, according to the AP.
“We regret that the missile was fired at a time when it was very important to stabilize the situation of the Korean peninsula,” South Korean defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said Tuesday.
The test comes as Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, recently said North Korea would be willing to have a summit with South Korea if the countries can engage with “fairness and mutual respect.”
The offer for a summit comes after South Korea said they want to have a formal end to the Korean War, which North Korea says could only happen if the U.S. and South Korea cease their joint military drills.