Suspected North Korean hypersonic missile exploded in flight, South Korea says

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, a development that comes as North Korea is protesting the regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan.

The missile launched from the North’s capital region around 5:30 a.m. was aimed toward the North’s eastern waters before the failure, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff later said the missile blew up as it was flying off the North’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan. The missile fragments were scattered in the water, up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the launch site. No damages were immediately reported.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff suspected the weapon was a solid-fueled hypersonic missile and the test was aimed at improving its