North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of strategic cruise missiles, state news agency KCNA said, as South Korea and the United States kicked off annual military drills that Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for war, writes Reuters.

Kim visited a navy fleet stationed on the east coast to oversee the test aboard a warship, KCNA said, without specifying the date of his trip.

The launch aimed to verify the “combat function of the ship and the feature of its missile system”, while improving sailors’ capability to carry out an “attack mission in actual war”, KCNA said, adding that the ship’s missile hit its target.

Kim said the ship would maintain “high mobility and mighty striking power and constant preparedness for combat to cope with sudden situations”, KCNA said.

South Korea’s defence ministry said it had detected signs of the launch, but that the KCNA claims were “exaggerated” and "different from the facts", but did not elaborate.

The latest missile test came as South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises on Monday, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea"s nuclear and missile threats.

Pyongyang has denounced the allies" military drills as a rehearsal for nuclear war.