Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of a "new-type weapon" system, touting it as evidence of the country's advancing military technology, state media reported Tuesday.
The announcement came two days after South Korea and Japan said Pyongyang launched two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, which the countries condemned as threats to regional peace and security.
The nuclear-armed country's missile bureau "successfully tested a new type of weapon" Sunday in the presence of its leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Pyongyang did not specify what the weapon system entailed, but said Kim praised the launch as an "undoubtedly a striking demonstration of ultra-modern defence technology".
Last week, Pyongyang rejected a resolution adopted at the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding it halt its nuclear activities, saying its nuclear weapons status was "irreversibly and permanently fixed" by its laws.
North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson said the IAEA resolution "has no effect on the DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state", using the acronym for North Korea's official name.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, recently said the country's nuclear-armed status was "absolute" and called those hoping for its denuclearisation "idiots".
