Pyongyang, North Korea - North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported on Sunday, a day after South Korea detected the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.

The test comes after South Korean and US forces kicked off their springtime military drills, due to run until March 19.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the testing on Saturday of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency said.

It said the test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.

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Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang's enemies within the 260-mile striking range a sense of "uneasiness" and "a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon," KCNA reported.

The rockets battered an island target in the East Sea of Korea more some 225 miles away, KCNA said on Sunday.

Kim praised the MRLS as a "very deadly yet attractive weapon".

Photos released by state media showed several rockets blasting off large vehicles into the air.

Another picture shows Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from afar, flanked by a military official.

Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected multiple launches on Saturday from the North into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

Seoul's presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a "provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions" and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts.

The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that US President Donald Trump thinks a meeting with Pyongyang's Kim would be "good".

After largely ignoring recent overtures from Trump, Kim said recently that the North Korea and the US could "get along" on the condition that Pyongyang's nuclear status is accepted.