North Korea launches suspected hypersonic missile weeks before Trump’s inauguration

North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic missile into the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, marking its first provocation this year ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, Yonhap reports.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch of a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at about 12 p.m. from the Pyongyang area and it flew some 1,100 kilometers before splashing into the sea.

While the missile's flight distance fell shorter than the conventional IRBM range of 3,000 to 5,500 km, it is believed to be similar to North Korea's IRBMs tipped with hypersonic warheads that were launched in January and April last year, a JCS official said.

Hypersonic missiles are considered more difficult to intercept than conventional ballistic missiles due to their ability to change direction mid-flight.

If confirmed to be a hypersonic missile, it would be the farthest distance covered by a North Korean missile of its kind.

The missile is also believed to be theoretically capable of striking U.S. military bases in Guam -- about 3,400 km from Pyongyang -- if fired at full range.

Earlier it was reported that South Korea sanctioned 15 North Korean IT workers over illicit funding for nuclear and missile programs.