North Korea is suspected of having launched a hypersonic missile as part of an apparently failed test early Wednesday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the launch originated outside Pyongyang, and Japan’s defense ministry also said it detected a launch.

The south’s intelligence agencies are reportedly investigating, with officials saying it may have been a hypersonic missile that exploded midair. 

Yonhap via AFP: A vapour trail believed to have been created by the North Korean missile.

“The launch from near the capital, Pyongyang, ended in failure as the missile blew up over the eastern coastal waters near the North Korean city of Wonsan,” the JCS said in a statement. 

While there are no reports of damage, missile fragments were scattered up to 250 kilometers away, regional reports say.

Japan said that before it failed the missile reached an altitude just over 60 miles and traveled a distance of 124 miles.

An official was cited in Yonhap news agency as saying “there appeared to be more smoke than during previous launches, raising the possibility of combustion issues” and it “appeared to be a solid-fueled missile.”

This latest test comes soon on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Pyongyang where he met with Kim Jong Un and inked a comprehensive strategic cooperation treaty.

Both countries which are under US-led sanctions have pledged greater cooperation on the defense technology front.

Washington is alarmed given that Russia does possess capable hypersonic missiles, which have reportedly at times already been used in Ukraine.

These missiles are much harder to intercept or even to detect given they are capable of hitting speeds in excess of five times the speed of sound.

Recent footage of some of Kim’s new hypersonic “toys”…

❗🇰🇵🚀🇺🇸 – North Korea announced the successful test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-16B, which uses solid fuel.

Kim Jong Un oversaw the test and praised the country’s defense technology, promising to further develop the arsenal to face its “enemies”… pic.twitter.com/qO4YYvlQSr

— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) April 18, 2024

From the West’s perspective and Seoul’s perspective, if Kim’s government ever achieved provable hypersonics and they were regularly deployed, it would be a nightmare.