?North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the test firing of long-range Surface-to-Air missiles on?Wednesday at a launcher site?near its east coast?, according to KCNA state media on Thursday.

The test was conducted to assess the strategic technology of the nuclear-armed nation for the development of a new high-altitude type missile. KCNA reported that targets were destroyed in the air 200 km away (124 miles).

KCNA reported that Kim had also viewed?construction at a different site of an 8700-ton submarine powered by nuclear energy capable of launching surface-to air missiles. The KCNA did not specify the location or date of his visit.

KCNA reported that the submarine project is one of five policies being pursued by the North Korean ruling parties to develop the country's defence capabilities.

Kim is quoted as saying, "The present world has no peace" and that it's essential to modernise the Navy and develop nuclear capabilities.

Kim said that South Korea's agreement with Washington to develop a nuclear sub would "further escalate tensions on Korean Peninsula" and pose a threat to national security, which requires him to act.

North Korean state-run media, in a separate statement released on Tuesday, criticized the entry of an American nuclear submarine into a South Korean harbor, calling it a "serious act that escalates military tensions throughout the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region."

The South Korean Navy reported that the nuclear-powered submarine USS Greeneville arrived in Busan on Tuesday for shore leave, and to load supplies.

North Korea said this week, too, that Japan had shown its intent to possess nuclear weapons. This was prompted by South Korea's efforts to develop a nuke submarine. (Reporting and editing by Heejin KIM; Chris Reese, Edmund Klamann).

(source: Reuters)