North Korea's claim last week that it had tested an unidentified "ultramodern tactical weapon" highlighted its desire to upgrade its conventional arms and reassure its military even as talks are underway to end its nuclear program, analysts said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the test of a newly developed tactical weapon that could serve as a "steel wall," state media reported Friday, without giving details of the weapon.
It was Kim's first observation of a weapons test this year and could complicate already stalled nuclear talks with the United States, although Washington and Seoul downplayed the development in an apparent effort not to derail negotiations.