analysts told AFP. South Korea and Japan said Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, condemning the launches as threats to regional security. North Korea did not name the weapon, saying only that its missile bureau had "successfully tested a new type of weapon" demonstrating "ultra-modern defence technology." Analysts identified it as an upgraded version of the Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 hypersonic short-range ballistic missile.

Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the missile, with a range of 450 to 600 kilometres, is "designed to strike key military facilities across the Korean peninsula within an extremely short period of time." State media images showed leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae watching a screen displaying what appeared to be the missile's flight path. Kim warned the weapon's advances would give adversaries "an incurable headache and a very cruel and unavoidable blow." Despite long-running UN sanctions, North Korea has enshrined its nuclear-armed status in law, and has secured backing from Russia alongside its traditional ally China, leaving fewer incentives for renewed diplomacy with Washington. Researcher Ahn Chan-il suggested the tests may be less about upgrading Pyongyang's own military capabilities than about testing weapons produced for Russia's wartime demand. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has become a key Kremlin ally, sending troops in return for economic benefits and military technology. Hong Sung-pyo of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs said that if deployed against South Korea, the hypersonic weapon would pose a serious threat, though a single test is insufficient proof. Because it manoeuvres during its terminal descent, it is harder to track and intercept than a conventional ballistic missile, particularly at hypersonic speeds. (Bssnews)