North Korea claims successful test of new weapon system overseen by Kim Jong Un

North Korea's state media said on Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un had overseen the successful test of a new combat weapon system two days earlier, describing the technology as "ultra-modern" and a clear advance in the country's war readiness. The announcement by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) came after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the North had fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area on Sunday.

The KCNA report did not specify what type of weapon was tested, but it said the launch was carried out by the General Missile Bureau and held "great significance in the rapid technological development of weapon systems." Kim was quoted as saying the test was "undoubtedly a striking demonstration of ultra-modern defense technology and clear progress in the modernization of the armed forces."

Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae at the test site. A screen they were watching displayed the words "Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 flight trajectory," suggesting the missiles might have been newly developed hypersonic ballistic missiles. The screen also showed a flight distance of 908.2 kilometers, far exceeding the South Korean military's assessment of 450 km and 600 km, though experts noted that Pyongyang could have altered the figure to claim success.

Kim said the technology "is of weighty significance in the state's readiness for war and the future development of the armed forces." He added, "The enemy will know better what such progress means without any explanation in the aspect of military technology." KCNA reported that Kim said the reality would give the enemy "an incurable headache and a very cruel and unavoidable blow."

The launches came ahead of the U.N. General Assembly's high-level general debate, which opened Tuesday, and a scheduled summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday. Analysts said the timing appeared aimed at signaling to the Trump administration that North Korea has no intention of curbing its military buildup.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United States met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York and agreed to coordinate closely for peace, stability and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The test also came days after Pyongyang accused the United States of driving tensions through a series of military drills.