Pyongyang, North Korea – January 5, 2026 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the test-firing of hypersonic missiles on Sunday, January 4, describing the launches as essential for bolstering the country's nuclear deterrent in light of a "recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," according to state media reports released on Monday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) detailed that the missiles were launched from the Ryokpho District in Pyongyang Municipality, flying in a northeast direction and accurately striking targets approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away over the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The drill aimed to verify the readiness of North Korea's hypersonic weapon system, enhance missile troops' operational skills, and confirm advancements in preparing nuclear forces for potential conflict.
Kim Jong Un emphasized that the tests demonstrated "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces" and marked "important achievements" in placing nuclear capabilities on a "practical basis" for actual warfare. He stressed the need to "continuously upgrade the military means, especially offensive weapon systems," stating, “To be honest, our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a highly developed basis.” He added that the necessity for such measures is "exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events."
While Kim did not explicitly name the crisis, analysts widely interpret his remarks as a reference to the U.S. military operation in Venezuela on January 3, during which American forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, transporting them to New York to face long-standing drug-trafficking charges. North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement on Sunday condemning the U.S. action as a "serious encroachment on sovereignty" and evidence of America's "rogue and brutal nature."
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's defense ministry detected the launches, confirming multiple ballistic missiles with trajectories consistent with hypersonic capabilities. Experts suggest the tested system may be an advanced variant of the Hwasong series, potentially the Hwasong-11, previously paraded and designed to evade missile defenses through high-speed maneuvering.
The timing of the test—North Korea's first ballistic missile activity of 2026—has drawn scrutiny, occurring less than 24 hours after the Venezuela operation and coinciding with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's departure for a summit in China. Analysts view it as a deliberate signal from Pyongyang, underscoring its nuclear-armed status as a deterrent against perceived U.S. aggression.
Hong Min from the Korea Institute for National Unification noted that the launch appears to be a direct response to the U.S. actions in Venezuela, with Kim's government emphasizing rapid deployment capabilities to complicate potential preemptive strikes. Other experts, including Bong Youngshik at Yonsei University, suggest Pyongyang is messaging that, unlike Venezuela, North Korea possesses robust "aggressive deterrence" through its nuclear arsenal.
This development intensifies regional tensions, as hypersonic weapons—capable of speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound and low-altitude maneuvering—pose challenges to existing defense systems in the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. North Korea has prioritized hypersonic technology as one of its key military goals since 2021, conducting multiple tests in recent years despite international sanctions and UN resolutions prohibiting ballistic missile activities.
The launch follows North Korea's condemnation of the U.S. Venezuela raid, aligning Pyongyang with critics like China and Russia who have decried the operation as a violation of sovereignty. Domestically, state media portrayed the drill as a successful "prelude" to the new year's military activities, with Kim extending greetings to missile forces as a "reliable shield" for national security.
International reactions to the missile test have been swift. South Korea convened an emergency national security meeting, labeling the launch a "provocative act" violating UN Security Council resolutions. Japan issued alerts and protested the activity, while the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated it was monitoring the situation closely, assessing no immediate threat but reaffirming commitments to allies.
As North Korea prepares for a major ruling party congress—the first in five years—observers anticipate further weapons demonstrations to showcase progress under Kim's leadership. The Venezuela incident has reportedly reinforced Kim's long-held view that nuclear weapons are indispensable for regime survival, potentially hardening Pyongyang's stance in any future diplomacy.
This event underscores escalating global volatility, with North Korea's actions highlighting the interconnected risks of regional crises and great-power interventions. As hypersonic capabilities advance, concerns grow over arms race dynamics in Northeast Asia and beyond.
