North Korea boasts about rocket testings

Kim Jong Un watched two drills featuring what North Korean media called a new type of "anti-ship rockets," according to the country's newspaper Rodong Sinmun.

The front page of the state newspaper featured pictures of a beaming Kim leaning back in a chair, surrounded by his smiling military cabal. Rodong Sinmun reported two drills -- one in daylight with anti-ship rockets and another one at night, testing both ground artillery and warships. The reports did not specify exactly where and exactly when the drills were held.

The newspaper described the rockets as "highly intelligent" that detected and hit "enemy" warships in the drill. And it reported that Kim "appreciated their high concentrated firing" and apparently remarked that "shells seemed to have eyes."

Earlier on Sunday, South Korean defense officials had reported the firing of three short-range anti-ship missiles from North Korea's eastern coast. South Korean officials had described the three missiles as KN-01 missiles. The KN-01 missiles are based on Soviet and Chinese technology with a range of 120 kilometers (74 miles), according to Globalsecurity.org.

This isn't the first time North Korea has tested anti-ship rockets this year. Similar tests were conducted in February and again in May with proclamations made in North Korea's state media.

On Monday, North Korea once again offered to hold talks with the South -- with conditions. But it seems unlikely that South Korea would accept the North's conditions, which includes ceasing all joint military exercises with the United States.

Seoul and Washington have consistently dismissed those demands.