 A North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has called for boosting the country's strategic military forces as he observed the test of a hypersonic missile for the first time in nearly two years. On Tuesday, authorities in South Korea and Japan detected a suspected launch which drew condemnation by authorities around the world and prompted an expression of concern from the United Nations Secretary General. North Korea's official news agency KCNA reported that the test fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications for the developed hypersonic weapon system. The second test of a hypersonic missile in less than a week underscored Kim's New Year vow to bolster the military with cutting-edge technology at a time when talks with South Korea and the United States have stalled.