North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a ground test of an upgraded high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine, state media KCNA reported on Sunday, in the latest move to advance the country's strategic weapons program.

The test is a part of a five-year defense plan and involved a carbon-fiber composite engine with a reported maximum thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons, according to KCNA.

The news agency did not disclose when or where the test took place.

The demonstration "showed the physical and technical ability they have prepared to be a-match-for-a hundred combatants with iron fists," KCNA said.

Kim also inspected special operations forces training and a new main battle tank.

What do higher-thrust solid-fuel engines do?

Analysts say higher-thrust solid-fuel engines could support intercontinental ballistic missiles with longer ranges and faster launch times, making them harder to detect and capable of reaching the US mainland.

The development demonstrates North Korea's "resolve to acquire missiles capable of hitting targets around the globe," Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told the AFP news agency.

It marks the first confirmed high-thrust solid-fuel engine test since September, when Pyongyang reported a lower-thrust engine.

Kim accuses US of global 'state terrorism'

Just days earlier, Kim accused the US of global "state terrorism and aggression," in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East and pledged to cement North Korea's nuclear status.

Pyongyang has accelerated its weapons program since US President Donald Trump's diplomatic overtures collapsed in 2019.

In February, Kim signaled openness to renewed talks if Washington drops its demands for denuclearization.

Edited by: Natalie Muller