I'll admit that I've never paid too much attention to the details of all these rockets that North Korea keeps testing: under the assumption, I suppose, that it's all about show, and presenting to the world the Democratic Republic's nuclear capability – so you better take us seriously!
This is alarming, though:
The ballistic missile North Korea fired into the East Sea on Tuesday morning is likely to be the "most technologically advanced" in terms of speed and other functions among all its hypersonic missiles.
South Korean military authorities downplayed the previous launch last week but admitted Tuesday's missile showed some "technological progress."
It flew more than 700 km at a speed of Mach 10, compared to a missile fired on Jan. 5 that made no more than Mach 6.
A missile with a Mach 10 speed from Pyongyang could reach Seoul in just one minute and U.S. Forces Korea headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province in two minutes.
Seoul in one minute! Now that is scary.
The speed has increased more than three times and the range 3.5 times compared to the Hwasong-8 missile that flew 200 km at a speed of Mach 3 last September.
Mick Hartley 
Leave a comment