North Korea's Kim hails 'new-type weapon' days after missile launch sparks anger

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test of a "new-type weapon" system, touting it as evidence of the country's advancing military technology, state media reported on Tuesday. The announcement came two days after South Korea and Japan said Pyongyang launched two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, which the countries condemned as threats to regional peace and security. North Korea has legally enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state, with its leadership repeatedly declaring the country's atomic arsenal permanent and irreversible.