North Korea confirmed yesterday that it launched a "new type" of solid-fuel ballistic missile.
This was reported by the South Korean agency Yonhap.
This missile marks an important technological and strategic advance in Pyongyang's military program, being more stable and quicker to prepare than liquid fuel missiles.
All of the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) launched so far by North Korea have been liquid-fuelled.
Solid-fuel missiles, which Pyongyang has been trying to develop for some time, are more stable and quicker to prepare, which makes it more difficult for the enemy to detect and destroy them.
This "new type of ICBM constitutes a rapid advance in nuclear counterstrike," said Kim Jong Un, according to Yonhap.
The South Korean military said yesterday that North Korea had "launched a new type of ballistic missile, perhaps solid fuel".
During a military parade last February in Pyongyang, North Korea exhibited a record number of missiles, including what analysts consider a new solid-propellant ICBM.
Pyongyang's announcement comes on the eve of one of the most important anniversaries for the country, the "Day of the Sun", April 15, the birth date of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung, usually celebrated with major military tests or parades.
