North Korea reports 'successful' test of new weapon

North Korea says it has successfully tested a new type of weapon in the presence of leader Kim Jong Un.

State-run Korean Central Television reported on Tuesday that the Missile Administration staged the test on Sunday.

The report featured a photo of a missile lifting off from a mobile launcher, and another showing Kim and his daughter checking the trajectory on a monitor.

Kim reportedly said the test was "a striking demonstration of ultra-modern defence technology and clear progress in the modernization of the armed forces."

South Korean media say the monitor showed the word "Hwasong-11," suggesting that the test involved a short-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead.

The latest weapons test apparently refers to two missile launches that South Korea's military observed on Sunday afternoon. It said the projectiles originated from North Korea's eastern city of Wonsan and flew toward the Sea of Japan.