The first ground tests of the first- and the second-stage engines were held on November 11 and 14 respectively, the report said. The tests were aimed at evaluating the technical specifications of new IRBM engines, the media reported, adding that the tests were "very successful" and the "reliability and stability" of the engines and manufacturing technologies were verified.
The tests "provided a sure guarantee for reliably accelerating the development of the new-type IRBM system," KCNA reported.
North Korea's General Missile Bureau attaches great importance to the development of the new type of IRBM, believing that the latest tests were "an essential process for further enhancing the strategic offensive capabilities" of North Korea's armed forces against the background of the unstable security environment and "the future military situation" in the region, the report said.