Joint Chiefs of Staff "North Korea's claim of missile speed and flying distance is deceitful"

The Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea is likely to have cheated on the speed, flying distance and second peak altitude of the hypersonic intermediate range ballistic missile it claimed.

Lee Seong-joon, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a regular briefing at the Ministry of National Defense yesterday (7th) that the hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile launched yesterday reached an altitude of up to 99.8 kilometers, 12 times the speed of sound, and flew 1,500 kilometers.

Director Lee also stressed that the range analyzed by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan was 1,100 kilometers and there was no second peak altitude.

He also said that basically, North Korea is an organization capable of propaganda, incitement, and deception, and that it has made a lot of exaggerated announcements in the past.

Director Lee also said that he also tested the performance of a new solid-powered hypersonic missile in April last year, adding that he sees it as an extension of the missile.

He also said that the South Korean military is ready to intercept any North Korean missile based on the South Korea-U.S. joint intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance ISR assets and missile defense systems.