DPRK leader Kim Jong Un guided the “Dropping and Target-striking Contest of KPA Special Operation Forces – 2017,” amid speculation that the country may soon conduct a new nuclear or missile test, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.

The contest showcased the special military forces' capacity to drop from planes and strike targets.

According to the report, Kim expressed his satisfaction, saying that the contest is like a gift for the upcoming 105th birth anniversary of former leader Kim Il Sung.

The country set up its high-level Diplomatic Commission for the first time in nearly two decades on Tuesday, as the country tries to improve international relations and bolster its nuclear weapons program.

The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson Strike Group moved toward the Korean Peninsula on Saturday amid a further escalation of tensions on the peninsula. Meanwhile, South Korea and the US are conducting a joint military drill in the country’s eastern coastal city of Pohang.

China has consistently maintained that dialogue and consultation are the only way to achieve denuclearization and safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, reaffirmed Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang at a daily press briefing Thursday.