N. Korea launches suspected hypersonic missile weeks before Trump’s inauguration

North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic missile into the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, marking its first provocation this year ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch of a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at about 12 p.m. from the Pyongyang area and it flew some 1,100 kilometers before splashing into the sea.

While the missile’s flight distance fell shorter than the conventional IRBM range of 3,000 to 5,500 km, it is believed to be similar to North Korea’s IRBMs tipped with hypersonic warheads that were launched in January and April last year, a JCS official said.

Hypersonic missiles are considered more difficult to intercept than conventional ballistic missiles due to their ability to change direction mid-flight.

If confirmed to be a hypersonic missile, it would be the farthest distance covered by a North Korean missile of its kind.

The missile is also believed to be theoretically capable of striking U.S. military bases in Guam — about 3,400 km from Pyongyang — if fired at full range.

The latest launch took place as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks on efforts to deter North Korean threats amid political turmoil in South Korea stemming from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid.

South Korean officials have warned the North could take advantage of the political crisis by engaging in military activity and ratchet up cross-border tensions.

The launch raised speculation that it could be aimed at testing the South Korean military’s readiness in the aftermath of Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 and his subsequent impeachment.

“Under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, our military will closely monitor various North Korean activities so that it does not misjudge the current security situation,” the JCS said, while denouncing the launch as a “clear provocation.”

North Korea’s latest saber-rattling also came just two weeks before Trump takes office on Jan. 20 and after a two-month hiatus in missile launches.

Last month, the JCS said the North could stage a surprise hypersonic missile launch, citing various internal and external political events, including Trump’s inauguration, and recent signs of missile-related activity.

The North last fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Nov. 5, just ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

In a year-end party meeting, North Korea declared it would carry out the “toughest” counteraction strategy toward the United States, claiming military cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan has expanded into a “military bloc for aggression.”

Hypersonic missiles are on the list of sophisticated weapons North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop during a key party congress in 2021, along with nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.