North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country intends to have the world’s most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officials involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.
The announcement comes after Kim on November 18 inspected a test of the Hwasong-17, North Korea’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, and vowed to counter what he called nuclear threats from the United States.
North Korea’s “ultimate goal is to possess the most powerful strategic force in the world, the absolute force unprecedented in the century,” Kim said in the officers’ promotion order, adding that developing the country’s nuclear capabilities would protect against reliably the dignity and sovereignty of the country. state and the people.
He described the Hwasong-17 as the “world’s strongest strategic weapon” and said it demonstrated North Korea’s determination and ability to eventually build the world’s strongest military.
North Korean scientists have taken a “marvelous leap in the development of technology for mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles” and are expected to expand and strengthen the country’s nuclear deterrent capabilities at an extraordinarily fast pace, Kim also said.
Kim appeared in photos posing with scientists, engineers and military officers involved in the test.