It said the "advantages" of the weapon are "the peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful warhead," which the test verified.

The KCNA report did not provide further details about the weapon, but said Kim described its development as one "of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People's Army."

KCNA added that Wednesday's testing was "conducted in various modes of firing at different targets" and that Kim "guided the test-fire."

The announcement came the day after a US monitor, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said activity has been detected at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a February summit with Washington.

That meeting, the second between US President Donald Trump and Kim, ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Since then, North Korea has said it was mulling options for its diplomacy with the US, and Kim said last week he was open to talks with Trump only if Washington came with the "proper attitude".