North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the East Sea on Wednesday, but the missile exploded in the air, according to the South Korean army, in light of the possibility that it had tested the launch of a hypersonic missile.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 5:30 a.m., and intelligence authorities in South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis.

In this context, a military source told Yonhap News Agency that it appears that North Korea test-fired a hypersonic missile, but it is believed that the test ended in failure after the missile flew a distance of about 250 kilometers.

Later, an official in the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters on condition of anonymity that the army is studying the possibility of launching a hypersonic missile, noting that the missile exploded in the air over the waters off the eastern coast of North Korea.

The official said that it appears that more smoke is being emitted from the
missile than in previous launches, which increases the possibility of combustion problems, indicating that the missile may be powered by solid fuel.

Solid-fueled missiles are more difficult to detect before launch than liquid-fueled missiles because they require fewer preparation procedures, such as fuel injection.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency