North Korea successfully test-fired a new hypersonic missile, state-run media said Wednesday, the latest step in a plan its leader, Kim Jong Un, described as aimed at using solid fuel to power missiles of all ranges.
The North is developing missiles and nuclear weapons undeterred by sanctions in the wake of U.N. Security Council bans, while analysts say solid-fuel missiles can be faster to deploy than liquid-fuel variants.
It drew swift condemnation from neighbors South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States for firing the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the sea on Tuesday.