PYONGYANG: North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, official KCNA news agency said on Monday.

The weekend tests saw missiles travelling up to 1,500km, it said.

It suggests North Korea is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis, BBC has reported.

A picture in the North Korean Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile being fired from a launch vehicle, while another could be seen in horizontal flight, according to BBC.

The missiles are “a strategic weapon of great significance”, the KCNA agency said.

It added that the tests were carried out on Saturday and Sunday, with the missiles hitting their targets before falling into North Korea’s territorial waters.

It is the country’s first long-range cruise missile that could possibly carry a nuclear warhead.

UN Security Council sanctions forbid North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, but not cruise missiles such as these.

The council considers ballistic missiles to be more threatening than cruise missiles because they can carry bigger and more powerful payloads, have a much longer range, and can fly faster.

A ballistic missile is powered by a rocket and follows an arc-like trajectory, while a cruise missile is powered by a jet engine and flies at a lower height.

(With inputs from BBC)