Anchor: North Korea said Tuesday that it has succeeded in test-launching a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly oversaw the test and was quoted as saying the weapons system will deter enemies in the Pacific region. The South Korean military says the North’s claims are exaggerated. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: 
[Sound bite: Korean Central TV (Jan. 7/Korean-English)]

North Korea says it has successfully tested a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile.

The North’s state media on Tuesday released video footage of the weapons test with music in the background.

Korean Central TV said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test the previous day through a monitoring system.

[Sound bite: Korean Central TV (Jan. 7/Korean-English)]
“[Dear Leader Kim Jong-un said,] ‘The performance of the latest hypersonic intermediate-range [missile] system cannot be ignored in the global arena, and it can penetrate any defense barrier, no matter how tight, and cause significant military damage to the enemy. … The hypersonic missile system will keep in check any enemy in the Pacific region that can affect national security.’”

As Kim insinuated that his military has the capabilities to strike Guam, the North said the hypersonic warhead descended from almost 100 kilometers in altitude and again soared as high as 42-point-five kilometers above the ground, changing its trajectory in an evasive maneuver.

According to the North, the missile traveled some one-thousand-500 kilometers at 12 times the speed of sound.

Amid continued sanctions, the North also said new carbon fiber composite materials were used in the missile’s engine.
 
The announcement came a day after the South Korean military detected an intermediate-range missile launch from near the capital, Pyongyang. 

The South Korean military said South Korea, the U.S. and Japan believe the projectile has a striking range of around one-thousand-100 kilometers and that there were no signs the warhead made a second ascent.

During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, acting President Choi Sang-mok vowed to respond sternly to any provocations from North Korea based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News