South Korea says apparent North Korean hypersonic missile test ends in mid-air explosion

Seoul — North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a hypersonic missile on Wednesday, but the launch ended in a mid-air explosion, an official from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The early morning launch came just hours after Pyongyang sent another flurry of trash-bearing balloons southward, this time forcing a three-hour halt to flights in and out of South Korea’s Incheon airport. The missile took off from an area in or around North Korea’s capital Pyongyang at about 5:30 am (4:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday) and South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies were conducting a detailed analysis, Seoul’s Joint…