North Korea claims successful test of hypersonic missile

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful flight test of a hypersonic missile he claimed would remarkably increase the country’s “war deterrent.”

The report by North Korean state media on Wednesday came a day after the militaries of South Korea and Japan said they detected North Korea firing a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern sea.

The launch was North Korea’s second test of its purported hypersonic missile in a week as Kim continues a defiant push to expand his nuclear weapons capabilities in the face of international opposition and pandemic-related difficulties.