Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

South Korea conducted the first test launch of its domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle on October 8, with President Lee Jae Myung observing the event at the Agency for Defense Development’s Anheung Comprehensive Test Site in South Chungcheong Province.

The presidential office later released photographs of the launch and the missile striking its target, providing a visual record of the test.

According to a written briefing by presidential chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, the vehicle reached its planned altitude using a booster before separating and descending to a lower altitude. It then performed irregular maneuvers, changing direction vertically and horizontally before accurately striking its designated target.

The test was intended to evaluate heat-resistant materials designed for extreme temperatures, guidance and control systems, and the ability to maneuver at low altitudes under hypersonic flight conditions.

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

The government did not disclose the missile’s speed, flight range, altitude or flight duration. The weapon remains under development, with no public timetable announced for operational deployment.

Unlike South Korea’s separate HyCore program, which is developing a scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile, the hypersonic glide vehicle relies on a booster to reach the required speed and altitude before continuing its flight without propulsion.

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Click to see full-size image. (Office of the President of the Republic of Korea)

Lee called for the system’s development and deployment to be accelerated, pledging government support for advanced weapons programs.

After the test, Lee wrote on X that the missile embodied South Korea’s determination to defend itself using its own technology and capabilities.

“Self-reliant defense is not just a slogan — it must be proven through technology and capability,” the president wrote.

The South Korean president later inspected the military’s Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, designed to destroy hardened underground targets.

The launch followed a North Korean intermediate-range missile test on October 3, which was supervised by leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korean state media said the missile struck a target about 1,000 kilometers away, while South Korea assessed that it had traveled more than 700 kilometers and Japan estimated a flight distance of about 680 kilometers.

Pyongyang described its launch as part of its hypersonic weapons program, placing the two Koreas’ competing development efforts in sharper focus.

Tensions had already risen after a land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone on September 21 injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea’s military and the United Nations Command attributed the incident to mines planted by North Korean troops, an allegation Pyongyang denied.

Against that backdrop, Lee’s public appearance at the latest test underscored his administration’s emphasis on strengthening South Korea’s domestically developed weapons capabilities.

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Illustrative image.

North Korea launched an intermediate-range strategic missile from its east coast on October 3, claiming it had been equipped with artificial intelligence technology that allows it to change course while flying at low altitude, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said her brother personally supervised the firing drill. She noted that South Korea and Japan tracked the missile and reported flight distances of more than 700 kilometers and 680 kilometers, respectively, calling the figures “interesting numbers.”

“We have already witnessed similar announcements four times and, finally, we came to the conclusion that the superiority of the special flight mode applied to the missiles in our possession has been verified in practice,” Kim said.

She claimed the “enemy” failed to track the targets from their initial skip points when the missile used a wave-like flight trajectory. She also said extending the trajectory during the downward stage produced distances similar to those reported by South Korea and Japan.

“They should acknowledge the speed of the missile,” Kim said, adding that “they would be well advised” to remember previous announcements that the missile is capable of “changing its flight orbit at a low altitude and AI was introduced into it.”

“There is no way to avoid this attack,” she stressed.

Kim added that representatives of the Missile Administration had reported that the newly introduced technology could allow the missile to use at least four different flight-orbit modes depending on its purpose and target.

Kim Jong Un said no other country in the world “could have access to such technology for at least several years,” according to the North Korean statement.

The launch came 13 days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan region on September 20. The two missiles were launched within hours of each other toward the East Sea, according to Anadolu Agency’s report.

“We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the U.S. military’s Pacific Command wrote on X.

“Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,” the command added, while pledging to defend the United States and its allies in the region.

The October 3 launch follows a cluster of North Korean missile tests in September, including multiple short-range ballistic missile launches on September 12 and two more on September 20.

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SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

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MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

• North Korea Tests New Hypersonic Missile (Photos)
• Kim Jong Un Inspects Drones, Orders AI and Automation Push (Photos)