A Japanese newspaper reports that North Korea’s “Daepodong Two” long-range ballistic missile has a propulsive force that is eight times stronger than that of its predecessor, the “Daepodong One.”

The North conducted tests of its Daepodong One in 1998 and Daepodong Two in April of last year.

The Mainichi Shimbun says that a geodetic research team at Hokkaido University confirmed the increased capabilities of the new version of the Daepodong through analysis of global positioning data.

A member of the research team said the finding shows that North Korea has been steadily and stably improving its missile technology.