The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang towards the sea off its east coast at around 7:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, South Korea’s military said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended New Year's celebrations in Pyongyang on Wednesday. North Korea's official state media reported Kim's attendance at the event at May Day stadium, which they said was attended by up to 150,

Decorations celebrating the New Year adorned the North Korean capital on Thursday. North Korea strictly controls religion, so seasonal holidays are presented as neutral, unless they are domestic celebrations of the ruling family or traditional Korean cultural dates.

Pyongyang will likely open room for a summit meeting with Washington while excluding dialogue opportunities with Seoul.

North Korea is also expected to further bolster its defence capabilities in the upcoming years. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.