Pyongyang's propaganda media reports that the military-strategic value of the “novel medium-range hypersonic missile” is as high as that of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

NNorth Korea's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful test of a solid-fuel engine for a “novel medium-range hypersonic missile,” according to state media. The state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday that the test was carried out on Tuesday at the Sohae satellite launch base in the northwest of the largely internationally isolated country. According to KCNA, Kim said the military-strategic value of this weapon system is considered to be as important as that of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

At the end of last year, Pyongyang announced that it had carried out a series of ground tests for a new type of solid-fuel propulsion for North Korean medium-range missiles. According to experts, solid fuel rockets are generally easier and safer to operate compared to liquid fuel rockets. They do not require refueling before launch, making them harder to find and destroy and quicker to deploy.