The missile North Korea fired off its east coast on Tuesday was a newly developed hypersonic missile, state news media KCNA reports.

North Korea fired the missile towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, as Pyongyang called on the US and South Korea to scrap their “double standards” on weapons programs to restart diplomatic talks.

The development of the weapon system increased North Korea’s defence capabilities, KCNA said on Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not inspect the launch, according to the report.

“In the first test-launch, national defence scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile in the active section,” it said.

It said the missile, called Hwasong-8, performed to its technical specifications “including the guiding manoeuvrability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead.”

North Korea and South Korea both test-fired ballistic missiles on September 15 , the latest volley in an arms race in which both nations have developed increasingly sophisticated weapons while efforts prove fruitless to get talks going on defusing tensions.