Top DPRK leader oversees ground jet test of solid-fuel engine for hypersonic missile

SEOUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) oversaw a ground jet test of multi-stage solid-fuel engine for an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Wednesday.

The test, conducted on Tuesday morning and afternoon, was a "great success," KCNA said.

A timetable for completing the development of the country's new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile weapon system was set due to the successful test, it added.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, said that the military strategic value of the weapon system was viewed as important as that of an intercontinental ballistic missile, in consideration of the country's security environment and the operational demand of its armed forces, the report said.