[SEOUL] South Korea's defense ministry said on Tuesday that it does not believe that North Korea has acquired missile re-entry technology.

The comment from Seoul came hours after Pyongyang said its leader Kim Jong Un supervised a successful simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile, which is needed to bring a missile back into the atmosphere. "What North Korea announced today was North Korea's one-sided claim," Moon Sang-gyun, the ministry spokesman said at a news briefing.

Mr Kim said North Korea would soon conduct a nuclear warhead test and test launch ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the official KCNA news agency said early on Tuesday.

REUTERS