NORTH KOREA has tested exploding drones designed to crash into targets, with national leader Kim Jong Un calling for mass production of the weapons to be accelerated, officia media reported today.

The country’s latest military demonstration came as the United States, South Korea and Japan engaged in a display of strength against North Korea by staging combined military exercises involving advanced fighter jets and a US aircraft carrier in nearby international waters.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published photos of Mr Kim talking with officials near at least two different types of unmanned aerial vehicles. They included those with X-shaped tails and wings that look similar to the ones the country disclosed in August, when the North Korean leader inspected another demonstration of drones that explode on impact.