Kim Jong-un, who appeared to be enjoying himself, grinned as he observed North Korea launch yet another ballistic missile.
According to state media, the nation launched its most recent and potent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Wednesday, which traversed 1,000 km and flew for 74 minutes.
Kim may be seen cheering the missile from the command post in pictures of the launch that were published by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA reported that the easy-going tyrant, wearing a white suit jacket, ‘personally guided the test-fire of a new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-18 on the spot’.
He was joined by his wife Ri Sol Ju, General Kim Jong Sik and other top officials.
According to state media, Kim was ‘greatly satisfied’ with the results of the test run, with photographs showing him standing up to applaud.
Yesterday’s solid-fuel ICBM was its first test in three months, South Korea’s military said, with the missile landing in waters between North Korea and Japan.
‘The test-fire had no negative effect on the security of the neighbouring countries,’ KCNA reported.
The launch was organised by the Missile General Bureau, a government agency that South Korean experts say was revealed in February to make it clear that the nation is a nuclear weapons state.
The Hwasongpho-18 was one of many ICBMs, strategic cruise missiles and short-range missiles North Korea has fired in recent years.
Kim has long shown his face at missile launches as North Korea’s propaganda wing moves into first gear as the US and South Korea beef up their alliance.
He has been photographed hunching over in black suits as he watches the ballistic missiles blast off with a pair of binoculars.
In March last year, Kim threw on a ‘Top Gun-style’ leather flight jacket and black aviator sunglasses as he emerged out of a warehouse to oversee a missile test.
Footage released by state media even had the moment he walked across the site in slow motion with the hunkering missile behind him.
As the missile shoots up into the sky, the Workers’ Party of Korea general secretary whipped off his sunglasses before shouting ‘hooray’.
Though the dictator isn’t always so buttoned or zipped up.
In October, Kim strayed from his usual all-black attire and donned a white tunic and a safari-style hat for an unplanned missile test.
It came during a month marked by increasingly aggressive and proactive missile tests, with an intermediate-range ballistic missile flying over northern Japan on October 4 triggering alarms and prompting panicked residents to seek shelter.
Only two days later, the nation rehearsed the launching of ‘nuclear warheads’ before firing two cruise missiles deployed at units operating ‘tactical nukes’ on October 12.
The following month – which saw North Korea fire at least 46 ballistic missiles – Kim revealed his daughter to the world for the first time.
He was pictured walking hand-in-hand with his ‘beloved daughter’, state media said, wearing casual coats as a massive Hwasong-17 looms behind them.