US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday (September 30) that North Korea was increasing instability after a series of weapons test launches including one which it claims was a hypersonic missile. Blinken said the United States could not confirm North Korea's claim to have tested a hypersonic gliding missile, a potential game-changer as it can fly five times the speed of sound.

"We are concerned about these repeated violations of Security Council resolutions that create, I think, greater prospects for instability and insecurity," Blinken told reporters after US-EU trade talks in Pittsburgh. North Korean leader Kim Jong  earlier on Thursday was quoted in state media as condemning a US offer of dialogue, calling it a "petty trick."

"We're evaluating and assessing the launches," Blinken said, "to understand exactly what they did, what technology they used, but regardless, we've seen repeated violations now of UN Security Council resolutions that the international community needs to take very seriously." The United States, Britain and France have called a Security Council meeting on North Korea that is set to take place on Friday.

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