This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on January 7, 2025 shows the launch of a missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. - North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un said that a new hypersonic missile system used in a test launch on January 6 would help deter the country's rivals in the Pacific, the North's state news agency reported. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP) / South Korea OUT / SOUTH KOREA OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE --- /

By Agence France-Presse

January 7, 2025

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SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a new hypersonic missile system tested this week would help deter the country's Pacific rivals, state media reported Tuesday, as Washington's top diplomat visited the region.

The test came two weeks before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, who has previously tried to woo North Korea, and coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the South.

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