North Korea Tests New Missile in Provocative Show of Strength Before Trump Takes Office

On Monday, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, marking the first missile test of 2025. The launch comes just two weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, signaling a provocative show of strength by the North.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting the missile launch from the Pyongyang area around noon and identifying it as an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM). According to military sources, the missile traveled approximately 1,100 kilometers (about 684 miles) before landing in the East Sea.

The JCS added, “In response to the launch, the military has enhanced surveillance and defense measures while closely coordinating with the United States and Japan to share intelligence on North Korea’s ballistic missile activities. We remain in a heightened state of readiness.”

This marks North Korea’s first ballistic missile test of 2025, coming two months after the country’s last short-range missile test on November 5, 2024. Notably, North Korea refrained from any missile launches following the victory of former President Donald Trump in the November 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The missile launched on May 17 is suspected to be a hypersonic IRBM, which is believed to have capabilities that pose a significant threat to U.S. interests in the Pacific region.

Last month, the JCS predicted that North Korea might test a hypersonic IRBM during the ruling Workers’ Party’s year-end plenary session.

Typically, IRBMs have ranges between 3,000 and 5,000 kilometers (approximately 1,864 to 3,107 miles), which could allow North Korea to target U.S. territories such as Guam, located about 3,000 kilometers (around 1,864 miles) southeast of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea previously claimed successful tests of hypersonic IRBMs in January and April of 2024, using solid-fuel propulsion systems in launches conducted near Pyongyang.