On the 22nd, North Korea’s Missile General Bureau conducted a test of a new weapon system, observed by Pak Jong Chon, Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee, among others.
According to a report from KCNA on the 23rd, two 'hypersonic missiles' were launched from the Lippho District of Pyongyang in a northeasterly direction on the 22nd and struck their targets on the Gwichangbong Plateau in Gyulrang County, North Hamgyong Province.
KCNA commented: "The test of the new weapon system is one step in the ongoing development of national defense capabilities aimed at continually improving the sustainability and effectiveness of strategic deterrence against potential adversaries."
Pak Jong Chon emphasized that the purpose of the weapon system test is to strengthen self-defense. The level of the new weapon system proves that North Korea’s national defense technological capabilities continue to advance.
Other viewpoints note that the missile test took place immediately after Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, and may be a pre-emptive move in response to Takaichi’s consistently tough stance towards North Korea, signaling Pyongyang’s stance of "not accepting unilateral pressure."