Kim Jong Un shown observing weapons test as country fires projectiles into eastern waters

Images published Sunday by North Korea state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, smiling and clapping as he observed the test-firing of what the newspaper called a “new tactical weapon.”The projectiles were fired from North Korea’s Hamhung area around 6 p.m., South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement on Sunday. The projectiles flew about 110 kilometers (about 68.3 miles) at an altitude of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), with a maximum speed of Mach 4.0 or lower, said the statement.On Sunday, North Korean state media KCNA reported Kim had observed the test firing of a “new-type tactical guided weapon,” which was “carried out successfully.” KCNA claimed the new weapon boosted the country’s “frontline long-range artillery units,” and increased efficiency “in the operation of tactical nukes of (North Korea) and diversification of their firepower missions.”North Korea also has “a domestic imperative to make and perfect the types of advanced weapons that Kim Jong Un ordered last year,” she said. This year is an important one for the country because of several major dates — including the 10-year anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s rule and the 110th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung — one of the most important events in the North Korean calendar.Lee Sang-hyun, president of the South Korean think tank Sejong Institute, said Kim may be under pressure “to show off his achievements.” April holds many of those important dates, providing an opportunity “to show off to the world about their country’s missile and nuclear capabilities.”Another reason for the recent tests could be to protest the US-South Korea joint military drills set to take place this month, experts said.North Korea has long condemned these joint drills as posing a grave threat to its security, accusing the US of a “hostile policy” toward the country.