![\"Dees](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Dees-test.jpg\")
<\/a>North Korean leader Kim Jong-un<\/a> has visited a test site to supervise a \u201cnewly developed ultramodern weapon\u201d, according to state media, marking the first announcement of continued weapons development since he began a rapprochement with the United States and South Korea earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Korean Central News Agency did not specify the exact type of weapon or when the test occurred, but the public declaration comes as talks with the US over the North\u2019s nuclear program stall. North Korea<\/a> has said it would suspend nuclear and missile tests as part of its push to improve relations with Washington, and Kim has said he is focused on improving the North\u2019s crippled economy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter seeing the power of the tactical weapon, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was so excited to say that another great work was done by the defence scientists and munitions industrial workers to increase the defence capability of the country,\u201d the report said.<\/span><\/p>\n State media said the project was begun under Kim\u2019s father, former leader Kim Jong-il, and that the younger Kim \u201cmissed Kim Jong-il very much while seeing the great success of its test\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n A single photo accompanying the story showed Kim surrounded by military leaders taking notes<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, and no weapons were pictured. The last weapons test to be publicly announced was the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017, before a dramatic thaw in tensions on the Korean peninsula.<\/span><\/p>\n A spokesperson for the US state department said the US was confident that Kim would keep to the agreement made during his summit with Donald Trump in Singapore in June.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe remain confident that the promises made by President Trump and Chairman Kim will be fulfilled,\u201d the spokesman said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the lack of progress in nuclear talks, US and North Korean officials are still working toward a second meeting between Kim and Donald Trump, and many observers believe it is the best opportunity for a breakthrough. Vice President Mike Pence said North Korea would not need to submit a list of its nuclear and missile inventory before a second summit, but that it would be a priority at the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it will be absolutely imperative in this next summit that we come away with a plan for identifying all of the weapons in question, identifying all the development sites, allowing for inspections of the sites and the plan for dismantling nuclear weapons,\u201d Pence said in an interview with NBC<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, adding \u201cnow we need to see results\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The announcement of the North Korean weapons test comes just days after a report by a Washington think tank<\/a><\/strong><\/span> that highlighted the North\u2019s continued development of undeclared medium-range missile bases, which could threaten US military forces in Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n