North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has scaled the country's highest mountain, state-run media say, arriving at the summit to tell troops that the hike provides mental energy more powerful than nuclear weapons.

A photo of the leader of the isolated state showed a smiling and wind-swept Kim standing on a snow-covered mountaintop, the sun rising behind him.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greets Korean People's Army pilots during a visit to the summit of Mt Paektu. Credit:KCNA

"Climbing Mt Paektu provides precious mental pabulum more powerful than any kind of nuclear weapon," the Rodong newspaper quoted Kim as saying.

The story is the latest run by state media on the feats of the Kim dynasty, which has ruled for more than six decades with an iron fist and pervasive personality cult.