North Korea has released a statement raising questions over South Korea's test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle, which was conducted on October 8 with President Lee Jae-myung in attendance.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Jang Chang-ha, general director of North Korea's Missile Administration, made the remarks in response to a question from a reporter.
When asked how he evaluated South Korea's first test of a hypersonic glide vehicle, Director General Jang answered, "I also saw those very interesting photos," adding, "Looking at the photo of the vehicle plunging vertically just before falling into the sea, one can see that there is not a single soot mark on the surface of the glide vehicle and the paint color remains clean, making it unbelievable that it passed through a hypersonic flight environment accompanied by ultra-high temperatures."
He then sarcastically remarked, "Those who have never tested a hypersonic glide vehicle cannot understand the changes that occur on the surface of such a vehicle."
He claimed, "Those photos could serve as evidence that the vehicle may not have performed a hypersonic flight, contrary to what they announced."
He also added, "These photos released by South Korea and its vague announcement will likely raise various doubts among many defense technology experts."
On October 8, the first test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle being researched and developed with South Korean technology was carried out in the presence of President Lee Jae-myung.
Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung explained on the same day, "The test launch was conducted to verify for the first time the performance of ultra-high-temperature heat-resistant materials, guidance and control capabilities, and irregular flight capabilities at low altitudes under a hypersonic flight environment." She added, "The test-launched hypersonic glide vehicle ascended to the target altitude, separated successfully, and performed its planned flight without issue in a hypersonic flight environment."
The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae released photos of the launch the following day, on October 9.