N. Korea says tested new weapon system earlier this week
North Korea fires a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, Jan. 6, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
North Korea on Tuesday reported on its missile launch earlier this week, saying the test of a new combat weapon system was significant in demonstrating the advancement of the country's weapons technology.
The North's missile bureau "successfully conducted a test of a new weapon" Sunday in the presence of leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea did not specify what the weapon system was but stressed the test was "of significant importance for advancing weapons system technology," it said.
The announcement came two days after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North had fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area.
Kim described the test as "an unquestionable demonstration of advanced defense technology" and "a clear renewal in the modernization of the armed forces," the KCNA said.
Noting that such technology would be significant for the country's war preparedness and future development of its armed forces, Kim said the country's adversaries would better understand what the technological advancement meant from a military perspective and that its development would be "a very harsh and unavoidable" ordeal for them, the KCNA added.