North Korea says it successfully test-fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasong-17, on Thursday reports Japanese media NHK,

The Friday edition of the ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that the missile was fired in the presence of the country's leader Kim Jong Un.

This is the first time that the North has announced the launch of a Hwasong-17 missile.

The newspaper says the missile was fired, at Kim's instruction, from an international airport in Sunan toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday. Sunan is a suburb of Pyongyang.

The paper says the missile flew on a so-called lofted trajectory, which has a steeper launch angle than usual. It says the projectile reached an altitude of 6,248.5 kilometers, and traveled 1,090 kilometers in about 67 minutes, before it precisely hit a target in the sea.

The newspaper quoted Kim as saying the country will keep bolstering its nuclear war deterrence capabilities, in both quality and quantity, in preparation for a confrontation with what it calls American imperialism.

Photos in the newspaper show a ballistic missile was put on a transporter vehicle that had 11 wheels on one side. The images show orange flames emanated from the missile as it took off.