According to Korean Central News Agency Kim Jong Un, attended the test launch of the solid fuel-powered Hwasong-16 missile in a Pyongyang suburb and claimed all missiles his country has developed are now based on solid fuel technology and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the testing of the Hwasong-16 missile on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
A senior North Korean official has called for further strengthening ties with China, state media said on Monday.
South Korea and the US kicked off a major combined military exercise on Monday to reinforce deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid concern Pyongyang could use the manoeuvres as a pretext for provocations.
North Korea's recent removal of unification references could create an ideological vacuum or confusion among the elite ranks, leading the regime to carry out a military provocation to bring stability, Seoul's point man on Pyongyang said on Sunday.
A lack of necessary farming materials, including fertilizer, amid global sanctions has also been cited as a factor that hampers farming.
"As he ordered the sub-units to start the fire, the men of long-range artillery pieces on the front opened fire all at once,"
Lee Do-hoon and his US counterpart Stephen Biegun shared their assessments of the situation on the peninsula and discussed cooperation in making "substantive" progress in the peace efforts".
The appearance is Kim's first in 22 days after he attended the Lunar New Year festivities then disappeared from the public eye amid global concern over the coronavirus outbreak.
Ri Son-gwon, a former army officer, has been serving as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is equivalent to the South's Unification Ministry.
