The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 22nd that North Korea's General Missile Bureau successfully conducted a test of a new weapon on the 20th. Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs Commission, observed the test.

According to reports, Kim Jong Un stated that the test demonstrated cutting-edge defense technology capabilities and that acquiring these technologies is of great significance to the country's military readiness and the long-term development of its armed forces.

Based on test-launch photos released by the KCNA, the weapon tested was the "Hwasong-11-Da-1" hypersonic missile; viewed from the side, its glide vehicle features a waverider configuration. This missile made its first public appearance at the "Defense Development 2025" weapons exhibition held last October.

By count, this is the fifth type of hypersonic missile North Korea has publicly revealed; since the initial test launch of the "Hwasong-8" hypersonic missile in 2021, the country has tested at least five such models.

According to previous reports by North Korean media, the Academy of Defence Science successfully test-fired the newly developed "Hwasong-8" hypersonic missile in Doyang-ri, Ryongrim County, Chagang Province, in August 2021. In January 2022, North Korea tested a second type of hypersonic missile; unlike the "Hwasong-8," which utilized a waverider glide vehicle, this second model employed a biconic glide vehicle configuration. In January 2024, North Korea tested a third type of hypersonic missile. Official North Korean statements indicated that the test aimed to verify the gliding and maneuvering flight characteristics of a medium-to-long-range hypersonic maneuverable warhead, as well as the reliability of a newly developed high-power, multi-stage solid-fuel engine. In February 2024, North Korea tested a fourth type of hypersonic missile—the "Hwasong-16B," a medium-to-long-range ballistic missile.