Kim praises his new destructive missile: capable of deterring adversaries

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the new hypersonic missile system used in a test launch Monday would help deter the country’s adversaries in the Pacific, the local news agency reported.

“The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any adversaries in the Pacific region who can affect the security of our country,” Kim, who supervised the launch, confirmed in statements reported by the North’s Korean Central News Agency.

A statement quoted Leader Kim as saying that the missile flew a distance of 1,500 kilometers, at a speed of approximately 12 times the speed of sound, before falling into the water.

Kim stressed in his statement that “this plan and effort are definitely self-defense and not an offensive plan and action.”