The test, conducted on Wednesday, involved a solid-fuel medium- and long-range ballistic missile. KCNA said the missile successfully separated precision-guided warheads to three predetermined targets.

“The aim is to ensure the ability to destroy individual targets using multiple warheads,” the statement said.

The announcement came a day after South Korea's military said North Korea launched what appeared to be a supersonic missile off its east coast, but it exploded in mid-air.

South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, warning against North Korean provocations following last week's meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam condemned Ukraine's attack on Crimea with US-supplied ATACMS missiles that killed at least four people and injured 151 as a "heinous act".

The attack highlighted how Washington acted as a "leading state sponsor of terrorism", he said, adding that any retaliation from Russia would be "a legitimate measure of self-defence".

The US State Department said on Monday that Washington has provided weapons to Ukraine so that the country can defend its sovereign territory.

Hoang Anh (according to KCNA, Reuters, Yonhap)