The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has test-fired two strategic long-range cruise missile into the sea, state media reported on Monday.

The country's top leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill, staged on Sunday over the Yellow Sea, and urged "unlimited and sustained" development of his country's nuclear weapons forces, the KCNA news agency reported.

It was apparently the first such test since early November.

The South Korean military said it detected the launch of multiple missiles from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency said.

The goal of the exercise was to review the "counter-offensive response posture and combat capability of long-range missile sub-units," KCNA said.

Kim stated that the government and ruling party of the country "would as ever devote all their efforts to the unlimited and sustained development of the state nuclear combat force," the news agency added.

The DPRK staged a ballistic missile test on November 6, just over a week after US President Donald Trump – on a tour of the region – expressed interest in meeting with Kim.

Pyongyang did not respond to the offer.

At that time Trump had just approved South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

Analysts have said Seoul's plan to construct one of these atomic-driven vessels would likely draw an aggressive response from Pyongyang.

Since Kim's 2019 summit with Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state. (AFP/ Xinhua)