On October 22, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), revealing significant discrepancies between South Korea military’s initial analysis and North Korea’s official announcement on October 23. This raises concerns about potential gaps in South Korea military’s ability to detect North Korean hypersonic missiles.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that day that the Missile Bureau successfully tested a critical weapons system on October 22. They claimed that two hypersonic projectiles were fired northeastward from Pyongyang’s Ryokpo District and struck a target area at Geosangbong in Orang County, North Hamgyong Province.
Pak Jong-chon, deputy chairman of the Workers’ Party Central Military Commission, who observed the test, hailed the advanced nature of the new weapon system as clear evidence of our continuously evolving self-defense technology.
Although North Korea did not specify the exact missile type or its specifications, their use of terms such as hypersonic projectile and new weapon system strongly suggests that it could be the Hwasong-11 model.
The Hwasong-11 is a new short-range ballistic missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead, which builds on the existing Hwasong-11A (KN-23, North Korea’s Iskander variant) tactical guided missile. Hypersonic missiles travel at low altitudes within the atmosphere and execute erratic maneuvers, making them more difficult to detect than conventional missiles. To qualify as hypersonic, a missile must reach at least Mach 5, with speeds of Mach 7–10 or higher considered strategically advantageous.
Since tracking a missile’s launch point and trajectory is critical for defense, providing complete protection against hypersonic missiles is challenging unless they are neutralized before launch.
North Korea first unveiled this weapon at the Defense Development-2025 exhibition earlier this month and showcased it during the Workers’ Party’s 80th anniversary parade on October 10.
The Hwasong-11 features a glider-shaped warhead with wings rather than a conical design. The missile revealed by North Korea aligns with this hypersonic glide vehicle profile.
North Korea’s announcement and our military’s initial assessment differ significantly regarding the missile’s launch site, flight distance, and type.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea launched several SRBMs from the Junghwa area in North Hwanghae Province. North Korea claimed a flight distance of about 400 km (about 249 miles), whereas the JCS estimated 350 km (about 217 miles)—a discrepancy of 50 km (about 31 miles). The South Korea military also suggested that the missile might be a standard SRBM, possibly the Hwasongpo-11D-4.5, rather than a hypersonic weapon.
A military official stated that yesterday’s missile exhibited an SRBM trajectory. It did not detect the gliding or evasive maneuvers typical of hypersonic missiles.
Another military source expressed skepticism, stating that the reported launch distance seems insufficient for gliding. The absence of launch photos, Kim Jong Un’s nonappearance, and North Korea’s history of deception suggest that the announced details may not be entirely accurate.
Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak, speaking at a National Assembly Defense Committee meeting, remarked that they are still evaluating whether it is the hypersonic Hwasong-11.
He added that the data is fact-based, while theirs is descriptive, which could explain the discrepancies, hinting at possible North Korean deception.
In response to lawmaker Yoo Yong-won’s question regarding the detection of erratic flight during the gliding phase, Son replied that there may be some limitations due to certain ranges.
Lawmaker Yoo noted that the shape of the warhead suggests a hypersonic glide vehicle. While it cannot confirm its low-altitude hypersonic gliding capabilities, it appears that North Korea intentionally revealed it to demonstrate accuracy. Yoo expects that they will continue testing hypersonic missiles to challenge the U.S.-South Korea air defense network.