'NEW PROJECTILE'
The new weapon is based on existing technology that was improved to carry a 2.5-ton warhead, KCNA reported.
"The development of this weapon system is of great significance in bolstering up the military power of the country and deterring all sorts of military threats," said Ri Pyong Chol, the senior leader who oversaw the test, according to KCNA.
Photos released by state media showed a black-and-white painted missile blasting off from a military launch vehicle.
Missile specialists at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) said it appeared to be a missile that was unveiled at a major military parade in Pyongyang in October.
KCNA said Thursday's test confirmed the missile's capability to conduct "low-altitude gliding leap type flight mode," a feature that makes such weapons harder to detect and shoot down.
MEASURED RESPONSE
The United Nations Security Council North Korea sanctions committee is due to meet on Friday to discuss the missile tests, at the request of the United States.
The move suggests a measured response by the Biden administration, as the sanctions committee is comprised of lower-level diplomats from the 15 council members, rather than the ambassador-level council that convened after North Korea fired ballistic missiles a year ago.
While rejecting American overtures, North Korea has also used measured language, insisting it will only return to talks if the United States drops hostile policies.
Analysts noted leader Kim Jong Un did not appear to attend the Thursday missile tests, with state media instead showing undated photos of him inspecting new passenger busses in Pyongyang.
Mr. Kim has vowed to try to improve living conditions for citizens as North Korea's economy was ravaged by multiple crises, including international sanctions over its weapons programmes, natural disasters, and a border lockdown that slowed trade to a trickle in an effort to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.