The test came two weeks before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, who previously tried to woo North Korea, and coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the South.
KCNA cited the use of a “new compound of carbon fibre” in the missile’s engine, which experts warned could allow Pyongyang to hit further targets with technology to which only the United States, Russia and China currently have access.
Blinken visited on Monday strategic ally South Korea, a fierce rival of the North with whom it technically remains at war. The top US envoy, now in Tokyo, was expected to address issues surrounding Pyongyang in talks with Japan.
Kim said in a statement the missile launched on Monday flew for 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) -- beyond the 1,100-kilometre figure given by South Korea’s military -- and travelled at 12 times the speed of sound before landing in the ocean.
However, he added the missile’s performance could “not be ignored worldwide”, saying it was able to “deal a serious military strike to a rival while effectively breaking any dense defensive barrier”.
The launch was a message to the United States to engage in dialogue based on Pyongyang’s new game-changing technology as Trump prepares to enter the White House, analysts said.
Kim’s daughter watches
The location of the test site was also undisclosed, but images showed the missile launching from a remote piece of land surrounded by water on either side and trees stripped because of the winter cold.
“Achieving such speeds requires materials that can withstand extreme conditions,“ said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Blinken condemned the launch and said Pyongyang was “already receiving Russian military equipment and training”.
US and South Korean intelligence believe that North Korea sent thousands of troops late last year to fight against Ukraine and has already suffered hundreds of casualties.
Lee Sung-joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said some of North Korea’s launch details, such as the missile’s flight range, were inaccurate and that it “has frequently made exaggerated claims”.
North Korea’s Kim last year said Yoon was “a man lacking something,“ asserting that the way for Yoon to guarantee South Korea’s security was to “not provoke” the North.
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