North Korea's official newspaper claimed Saturday that a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile is not far away.

"The series of recent strategic weapons tests show that we are not too far away from test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile," the Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial.

The claim indicates the regime has continued to advance its missile technology since its leader Kim Jong-un said during his annual address on Jan. 1 that the regime was in the final stage of developing ICBM technology.

On Thursday, the North fired what appeared to be several short-range anti-ship cruise missiles from its east coast in the latest series of missile tests in defiance of international sanctions, according to the South Korean military. They flew some 200 kilometers.

It marked the fifth missile test-fire by the North since liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office May 10.

A set of photos carried by North Korea's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, on June 9, 2017, shows the test-firing of a new ground-to-ship cruise missile. (Yonhap)

Pyongyang has recently launched different types of missiles, including a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and a surface-to-air missile.

"The great success of test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile, which we are sure to achieve, will mark a historic watershed moment in the failure of the U.S. hostile policy against us," the editorial in the ruling Workers' Party's mouthpiece read. "Historically speaking, the U.S. has never dared to go to war with a country that possesses nuclear weapons or ICBMs."

It also warned that it has the technology to strike the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile. (Yonhap)

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지