North Korea has launched a new brigade in charge of intercontinental ballistic missiles, a government source here said Sunday.

The source said the brigade comes under a special command supervising all missile units but is a separate unit from those handling shorter-range missiles.

The move comes after the North fired a rocket into space earlier this month in what was widely seen as a test of ICBM technology. Development of the missiles is not yet complete, but the creation of the brigade suggests the North is confident that it is only a matter of time.