Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette as he oversees the launch of his 'new hypersonic ... trends now

Kim Jong Un was seen cheerily puffing away on a cigarette as he oversaw the launch of a new hypersonic missile. 

The North Korean dictator wore an all-black outfit as he smoked a cigarette in the lead-up to the test-fire of Hwasong-16B, a new-type intermediate-range solid-fueled ballistic missile loaded with newly-developed hypersonic gliding warhead. 

The launch took place at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Tuesday, but the photos were shared today.  

Following the test, Un declared North Korea had developed the ability to build solid-fuel, nuclear-capable missiles of all ranges as he pursues an arsenal that can credibly threaten rivals in Asia and the United States.

State media said the test was supervised by Kim, who described the Hwasong-16B missile as a key piece of his nuclear deterrent he vowed to further build up to counter his 'enemies,' a reference to the United States, South Korea and Japan.

In recent years, North Korea has been developing more missiles with built-in solid propellants. Such weapons are easier to move and hide, and can be launched quicker than liquid-propellant missiles, which need to be fueled before launch and cannot stay fueled for long periods of time.

North Korea tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time last year, adding to its arsenal of long-range weapons targeting the US mainland. 

The country also has an extensive lineup of short-range and mid-range solid-fuel missiles that can be fired from land vehicles, ships and submarines and are potentially capable of hitting targets throughout South Korea and Japan. 

In recent months, the North demonstrated some of these missiles in drills it described as simulated nuclear strikes.

Since 2021, it's also been testing hypersonic weapons designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. 

If perfected, such systems could potentially pose a challenge to regional missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. However, it's unclear whether these missiles are consistently flying at the speeds the North claims.