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UN Security Council delegate warns of DPRK hypersonic missile launch, urges de-escalation and humanitarian access
Summary
A delegate to the United Nations Security Council reported that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched a hypersonic-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile on Jan. 6 and said the launch, along with other recent DPRK activity, violates Security Council resolutions and heightens regional tensions.
Khald Hayari, speaking to the United Nations Security Council, reported that on Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. local time the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched what it described as a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle. Hayari said the DPRK’s official statement described the missile as flying along a predetermined trajectory at a speed “amounting to 12 times the speed of sound” and landing in the open sea, and that the DPRK did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications.
Hayari told the council the DPRK’s statement claimed the system “did a serious military strike to bridal by effectively breaking any of its dense defensive barrier,” and warned that hypersonic glide vehicles, which travel at least five times the speed of sound and can make evasive maneuvers, make defense measures more difficult.
The delegate said the Jan. 6 launch was the fourth intermediate-range ballistic missile launch since the start of 2024; during the same period the DPRK also launched one intercontinental ballistic missile and multiple short-range ballistic missiles, and attempted to place a military reconnaissance satellite in orbit. Hayari also cited the display of an undeclared enrichment facility in Gangseon and the commissioning activity at the Yongbyon light-water reactor as violations of Security Council resolutions.
Hayari said the DPRK is pursuing new military capabilities under a five-year military development plan that lists tactical nuclear weapons, very large warheads, intermediate- and long-range ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and a nuclear submarine, and that the DPRK’s year-end plenary emphasized completing the plan in 2025.
Hayari characterized the DPRK’s persistent pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programs as undermining the global nonproliferation regime and said it escalates tensions and further isolates the DPRK. He said the secretary-general has “consistently called for de escalation and the urgent resumption of talks” and urged diplomatic engagement and offers to meet “without preconditions.”
Hayari also urged attention to humanitarian conditions inside the DPRK and reiterated a call for the DPRK to expedite the return of the UN country team and the international community to strengthen support for the DPRK people and to advance the 2030 agenda.
No formal Council decision or vote on the matters Hayari raised is recorded in the transcript provided.
