Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un rode a white horse to visit Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, calling for greater self-reliance against U.S. sanctions, state media reported Wednesday. 

Mount Paektu is considered one of the most sacred places in the peninsula. In September 2018, Kim and Republic of Korea (ROK) leader Moon Jae-in jointly climbed to the summit of Mount Paektu in their third summit. 

Some ROK observers have commented the DPRK leader visits the mountain ahead of big decisions and events. 

"His march on horseback in Mount Paektu is a great event of weighty importance in the history of the Korean revolution," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, releasing a series of photos of Kim riding a horse through the snow. 

Kim also visited a special tourist zone under construction in Samjiyon County at the foot of the mountain and lashed out at the United States for sanctions and pressure against the country. 

"The situation of the country is difficult owing to the ceaseless sanctions and pressure by the hostile forces, and there are many hardships and trials facing us," Kim said, according to KCNA.  

"The pain the U.S.-led anti-DPRK hostile forces inflicted upon the Korean people is no longer pain, but it turned into their anger," he said. 

"Whenever the enemies try to strangle us with the chain of pressure," Kim said, the country should make greater efforts to "live well under the banner of the great spirit of self-reliance so that the enemies feel a pain in their stomach and head." 

The DPRK and the U.S. held their long-delayed working-level nuclear talks earlier this month in Stockholm, the first since U.S. President Trump and Kim met at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in June. 

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The DPRK called the talks a "failure" as the U.S. side didn't offer a new proposal while the U.S. side contradicted the DPRK's remarks, claiming the talks were "creative and good."