MONITORING DESK
ISLAMABAD: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country aims to acquire the most powerful nuclear force in the world.
He made the remarks as he promoted dozens of military officers who had worked for the recent launch of North Korea’s biggest missile yet – Hwasong-17, state media reported on Sunday.
Kim said that Pyongyang was building a nuclear force to safeguard the sovereignty and dignity of the state and its people, adding that his country’s “ultimate goal” was to possess “the world’s most powerful strategic force”, a nuclear arsenal which was “unprecedented in the century”.
He said the Hwasong-17 was the “world’s strongest strategic weapon” which showed Pyongyang’s resolve and capability to eventually build the world’s strongest army.
Kim appreciated North Korean scientists for their efforts in developing the technology to install nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles, adding that they were expected to improve the country’s nuclear deterrent capabilities at an extraordinarily rapid pace.
Hwasong-17
Launched by North Korea on November 18, the Hwasong-17 is Pyongyang’s biggest missile yet, and the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ICBM in the world.
Unlike previous ICBMs of North Korea, the Hwasong-17 is directly launched from a transporter, erector, launcher (TEL) vehicle with 11 axles.
The missile flew nearly 1,000 km for about 69 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 6,041 km, state news agency KCNA reported.
Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile could travel as far as 15,000 km, enough to reach the mainland United States.
The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the ICBM launch and termed it “a serious escalation” and an “unequivocal threat to international peace and security”.
