Updated 9:57 AM EDT March 19, 2017
Seoul, South Korea
North Korea is touting a "great leap forward" in its rocket industry after the successful testing of a new high-thrust engine, state media reported Sunday.
The test measured the thrust power in the combustion chamber, the structural safety and reliability of the engine, and the movement of the turbine pump, the Korean Central News Agency said. It reportedly took place at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, in North Pyongan Province.
CNN military analyst Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said advances in North Korea's rocket system could help with the country's development of ICBMs — intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Some of these technologies which the North Koreans are including in their rocket expansion program actually have to do with a covert method of firing missiles without being detected in advance of actually exploding the devices. So that's part of the issue," Hertling said.
"The other piece is when you're talking about an intercontinental ballistic missile, the types of warheads and the amount of weight that are in the missile itself have to be launched off of a pad. And the better they can improve their technology to do that, the more accurate these systems are going to be — not only from leaving the pad, but also going into the atmosphere and then hitting the target on the other side."
'Historic significance'
State media said the test was successful and marked an event of "historic significance" that could lead to the rebirth of the country's indigenous rocket industry.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the start of the test and oversaw it from an observation post, the KCNA reported.
Kim emphasized the whole world would "soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries," KCNA reported.
Kim's announcement came hours before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with President Xi Jinping of China — North Korea's only major global ally — in Beijing.
Although neither side brought up the subject publicly, Tillerson was expected to raise the prospect of financial penalties on Chinese companies and banks that do business with North Korea.