It came days after it passed its biggest state anniversary without an expected military parade, which it typically uses to unveil provocative weapons systems.

The test, the 13th round of weapons launches by Pyongyang this year, came amid concerns North Korea may soon conduct a larger provocation like a nuclear test in an effort to expand the country’s weapons arsenal and increase pressure on its rivals amid stalled diplomacy.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials observed the launch.

People watch a TV news program reporting on North Korea test-firing a newly developed tactical guided weapon, at Seoul train station on April 17, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea has test-fired a new weapons system which it claims will boost the efficiency of its tactical nuclear weapons, state media has reported. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

It said the weapon tested has “great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units, enhancing the efficiency in the operation of (North Korea’s) tactical nukes of and diversification of their firepower missions”.

KCNA did not elaborate, but the mention of the word “tactical nukes” suggested the weapon is likely capable of carrying a battlefield nuclear warhead that could hit strategic targets in South Korea, including US military installations.

The KCNA dispatch did not say when and where the launch occurred.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had detected two projectile launches from the North’s eastern coastal town of Hamhung early on Saturday evening.

North Korea claims to have tested new tactical guided weapon