Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette as he oversees the launch of his 'new hypersonic missile' and ramps up North Korea's nuclear standoff with the US

Kim Jong Un was seen cheerily puffing away on a cigarette as he oversaw the launch of a new hypersonic missile. 

The North Korean dictator wore an all-black outfit as he smoked a cigarette in the lead-up to the test-fire of Hwasong-16B, a new-type intermediate-range solid-fueled ballistic missile loaded with newly-developed hypersonic gliding warhead. 

The launch took place at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Tuesday, but the photos were shared today.  

Following the test, Kim declared North Korea had developed the ability to build solid-fuel, nuclear-capable missiles of all ranges as he pursues an arsenal that can credibly threaten rivals in Asia and the United States.

State media said the test was supervised by Kim, who described the Hwasong-16B missile as a key piece of his nuclear deterrent he vowed to further build up to counter his 'enemies,' a reference to the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The North Korean dictator wore an all-black outfit as he smoked a cigarette in the lead-up to the test-fire of Hwasong-16B

The Hwasong-16B is a new-type intermediate-range solid-fueled ballistic missile loaded with newly-developed hypersonic gliding warhead

In recent years, North Korea has been developing more missiles with built-in solid propellants

In recent years, North Korea has been developing more missiles with built-in solid propellants. Such weapons are easier to move and hide, and can be launched quicker than liquid-propellant missiles, which need to be fueled before launch and cannot stay fueled for long periods of time.

North Korea tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time last year, adding to its arsenal of long-range weapons targeting the US mainland. 

The country also has an extensive lineup of short-range and mid-range solid-fuel missiles that can be fired from land vehicles, ships and submarines and are potentially capable of hitting targets throughout South Korea and Japan. 

In recent months, the North demonstrated some of these missiles in drills it described as simulated nuclear strikes.

Since 2021, it's also been testing hypersonic weapons designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. 

If perfected, such systems could potentially pose a challenge to regional missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. However, it's unclear whether these missiles are consistently flying at the speeds the North claims.

Un looked on in delight as he oversaw the missile test on Tuesday in North Korea 

North Korea's dictator was seen posing in front of the Hwasong-16B

Kim wore an all-black outfit as he oversaw the test of his new hypersonic missiles

North Korean official media KCNA claimed that during the Tuesday test, the missile's hypersonic glide warhead reached a peak altitude of 62 miles and flew about 621 miles

North Korean official media KCNA claimed that during the Tuesday test, the missile's hypersonic glide warhead reached a peak altitude of 62 miles and flew about 621 miles after separating from the launch rocket, and performed various maneuvers before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

But the South Korean military said the North is exaggerating the success of the test and its overall missile prowess.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday maintained its assessment that the missile flew about 372 miles and accused North Korea of exaggerating the missile's flight performance, although acknowledging that the North's technologies were improving. 

The previous day, Japan reported a similar flight distance, although its Defense Ministry reported a maximum height close to that claimed by the North.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it remains unclear whether the North has perfected the technologies to ensure that the warheads of its hypersonic solid-fuel missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.

'Hypersonic missiles are weapons systems that are still being developed by advanced nations (the United States, China and Russia etc.) and they require highly difficult technologies,' the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. 

The South Korean military said the North is exaggerating the success of the test and its overall missile prowess

North Korea in previous tests have unveiled two different types of hypersonic vehicles

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a test launch of a possible new mid- to long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile

Tensions in the region have risen since 2022 as Kim used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his testing of missiles and other weapons

'It's difficult to predict when they will be deployed operationally, but it's expected to take a considerable amount of time.'

The North also tested a purported hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile in January, years after it flight-tested liquid-fuel IRBMs. Experts say such weapons if perfected is potentially capable of reaching remote UA targets in the Pacific.

'North Korea's development of hypersonic IRBMs targets Guam, which hosts US military bases, and even Alaska,' said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at South Korea's Research Institute for National Strategy.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the missile tested on Tuesday was likely different from the system tested in January, which state media didn't name but was likely the Hwasong-16A.

North Korea in previous tests have unveiled two different types of hypersonic vehicles - a conical one and a wedge-shaped one. State media images show that the January launch involved a conical warhead while the wedge-shaped design was used for Tuesday's launch.

Tensions in the region have risen since 2022 as Kim used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his testing of missiles and other weapons. The United States and South Korea have responded by expanding their combined training and trilateral drills involving Japan and sharpening their deterrence strategies built around strategic US assets.

Hours after the launch, Seoul's Defense Ministry announced that South Korea, the United States and Japan conducted a combined aerial exercise above waters near South Korea's Jeju island that involved at least one nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bomber.