North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing on Wednesday of a long-range surface-to-air missile at a launch site near its east coast, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.

The test, aimed at assessing the country's strategic technology for developing a new type of high-altitude missile, destroyed targets in the air from 200 km (124 miles) away, KCNA said.

Kim also observed construction work at a separate site on an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching surface-to-air missiles, KCNA said. It did not identify the location or the date of his visit.

The submarine project is part of the North Korean ruling party's effort to modernise the country's Navy, one of five key policies the party is pushing to develop its defence capabilities, KCNA said.

Kim was quoted as saying that the all-out development of nuclear capabilities and modernisation of the Navy are essential and inevitable, while "the present world is by no means peaceful".

Kim also said South Korea's plan for developing a nuclear submarine, agreed with Washington, would further inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula and poses a risk to national security that requires him to take action.

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