South Korea says mid-air explosion apparently resulted from North Korean hypersonic missile

soul – North Korea appears to have tested hypersonic missile An official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the explosion occurred in the air during the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. Just hours after the early morning inauguration, Pyongyang sent another telegram Garbage Balloons Further south, flights to and from South Korea’s Incheon airport were halted for up to three hours.

The missile flew through or around a segment North Koreain the capital Pyongyang around 5:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m. Tuesday) and South Korean and US justice agencies were conducting a detailed study, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The JCS chief said the test of what appeared to be a hypersonic missile failed after a range of about 155 miles. Hypersonic missiles fly so fast that they can evade missile defense programs these days. Russia has old them in ukraineand alternative nations, together with usWere making hypersonic gun program.

South Korea conducted live-fire drills along its disputed western maritime border with North Korea, the Associated Press reported.

The missile appears to be producing more smoke than usual, increasing the possibility of combustion problems, Hon said, adding that it will be powered by cast propellant.

Japan also confirmed the launch, describing its coast as safe and saying the missile was decommissioned in the Sea of ​​Japan, often referred to as the East Sea.

The confirmation comes after North Korea launched mass balloons carrying garbage toward the South on Monday and Tuesday. Layout of border barrages That experience gave birth to the tit-for-tat campaign.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s military said the North had fired another round of garbage-carrying balloons toward the South for the third consecutive time, advising people to record the balloons if they see them and avoid touching them. .

Seoul’s military said the balloons were “mostly paper waste”, creating the possibility of false security for society. However, dozens of unguided North Korean balloons disrupted takeoffs and landings at Incheon International Airport, according to AFP, an official news agency.

“The arrivals and departures of domestic and global flights were suspended from 1:46 a.m. (1246 Eastern) to 4:43 a.m.,” an official of Incheon Global Airport Co. said.

“At approximately 4:08 a.m., it was confirmed that the balloon carrying garbage had fallen near Gate 248 of T2, and military authorities collected it,” Hon said. The airport operated normally from 4:44 a.m. doing.”

Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons filled with trash it says were sent to the North by activists in retaliation for balloons carrying propaganda material critical of leader Kim Jong Un’s rule.

In response, Seoul has 2018 de-escalation military trade completely suspended And resumed some promotional announcements from loudspeakers at the border.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s military watched as it attacked fighter planes for the last time as a Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle entered its wind protection zone, one section wider than the country’s airspace, and fled. Had stopped about 50 minutes before. Beijing is Pyongyang’s most notable ally.

South Korea’s Marine Corps on Wednesday resumed live-fire exercises on islands such as the western inter-Korean border, meanwhile, following a 2018 accord with the North that was suspended earlier this year over ballooning. This is the first such exercise since. To publicize.

The exercises, described by the South Korean government as “routine and defensive in nature,” included Seoul’s K239 Chunmu multiple rocket launcher programs and other items, he said.

“Approximately 290 rounds were fired at simulated enemy targets to verify their capability and readiness to respond strongly to any provocation,” the Marine Corps said in a comment.

South Korea and the US also held joint wind drills on Wednesday, involving about 30 aircraft, including Washington’s sophisticated stealth fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor.

On Tuesday, Yun visited a US aircraft carrier that arrived in South Korea over the weekend for joint military exercises aimed at countering North Korean warnings.

The upcoming exercises with Japan are all set to go ahead later this year.

Pyongyang has criticized the robotic exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion.

Kim’s sister and chief acting spokeswoman Kim Yo Jong warned this year that Seoul would “undoubtedly witness a new reaction” from her country if leaflets were dropped and loudspeaker announcements continued.

A worker in the south confirmed on Friday that he had brought extra balloons. Legally, South Korea cannot punish activists who send balloons around the border due to a 2023 court ruling that bans it as an unreasonable infringement on free speech.

Professionals warn that the balloons inadvertently increase border tensions temporarily.