In 2021, North Korea stated the successful testing of a ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle and the designation Hwasong 8. The missile is really similar to the Chinese DF-17 that was considered operational in 2017. The ballistic Hwasong 8 is being carried by a multi-axles Transporter Erector Launcher. Till now, we don't know for sure the weapon is as reliable as North Korea supports. Even if its specifications weren't mentioned, it was stated that the weapon is a high priority for North Korea. However, the NATO country South Korea believes that the weapon is on production stage. It's possible that the weapon needs a lot of time until it becomes ready for the battlefield.
The new Hwasong 8 looks like the Hwasong 12 missile, but it has a glide vehicle instead. The hypersonic vehicle was built in order to penetrate air defense systems and is located at the top of the missile. The vehicle moves at around 6 Mach (6,173km/h) and can do maneuvers while flying. So, while reaching its target, the weapon flies at an unpredictable trajectory. Because of that, it's really difficult to intercept it. In general, missiles can't keep up with agile hypersonic weapons. So, if everything is true, the North Korean missile can't be stopped from any current defense system. In 2022, it was stated that the missile hit a target at a distance of 700km. South Korea doesn't seem really convinced, as they stated the range was shorter. The NATO partner is sure that North Korea doesn't own any hypersonic weapons yet.
The North Korean missile can also carry nuclear warheads, except for the conventional ones. It's pretty expected that the North Korean Army will equip these important missiles with nuclear warheads. It seems like the missile has a range of up to 3,200km. This distance is more than enough to hit targets in South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. The part of the US Army that is located on the west side of the Pacific can also be hit by the missile. But of course, the USA homeland is safe from the missile. During the tests, the missile flew at almost 30km altitude.
Last but not least, let us inform you that the USA and South Korea believe that they can both detect and intercept such missiles.
