North Korea Fires Hypersonic Missile in First Weapons Test of 2025

Kim Jong Un’s North Korea fired a midrange ballistic missile into its eastern seas on Monday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a series of meetings with the South Korean leadership amid ongoing political uncertainty in Seoul.

The United States, South Korea and Japan separately condemned Pyongyang’s first major weapons test of the year, which will be seen as a warning directed at the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the missile test.

Why It Matters

North Korea has tested a record number of strategic missiles under strongman Kim. Trump was the last American leader to successfully meet a North Korean counterpart, but Kim’s regime has signaled its intention to double down on its nuclear weapons program, regardless of who sits in the White House.

Pyongyang also uses similar demonstrations to convey its displeasure at the U.S. for strengthening alliances on North Korea’s doorstep, a trend it uses to justify its own military buildup.

What To Know

Newsweek‘s map, based on an assessment released by the Japanese government, shows the trajectory of the latest North Korean missile, which was fired from the Pyongyang area into the Sea of Japan, known in the two Koreas as the East Sea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the intermediate-range ballistic missile was launched at around noon local time and traveled some 690 miles before falling into the sea. The weapon’s exact type was still being analyzed, officials said, but its characteristics appeared similar to those of a hypersonic missile tested twice last year.

Hypersonic warheads can maneuver mid-flight and are designed to be harder to intercept than their conventional counterparts. The weapon is on Kim’s wish list of advanced technologies, which also includes satellites and nuclear-powered submarines.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the missile fell outside of its exclusive economic zone, and its coast guard reported no damage to vessels in the area. The landing zone appeared to correspond with Russia’s exclusive economic waters.

Monday’s launch was North Korea’s first since it fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward a similar area in November, just days ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

Pyongyang’s first test-fire of 2025 came as Blinken, America’s top diplomat, met with South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok. Choi assumed the interim role after the South Korean Parliament voted to impeach a second president in two weeks.

At a press conference later the same day, Blinken said Russia was likely providing North Korea with advanced satellite technology in exchange for Kim’s dispatch of elite troops to the Ukraine war.

What People Are Saying

Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state, at a press conference in Seoul: “Today’s launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is.”

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement: “[The missile launch] constitutes a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and poses a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the international community.”

Guo Jiakun, China’s new Foreign Ministry spokesperson, at a daily press conference: “China’s position on the Korean Peninsula issue is consistent and clear. On relevant launch activities, I have no new comments to make.”

What Happens Next

Pyongyang has the stated goal of developing an arsenal of solid-fuel missiles, which are faster to operate and therefore harder to detect before launch.

North Korean state media typically announces missile test results 24 hours after the fact.