Kim Jong Un vows full speed ahead for North Korea's nuclear program, as he flaunts ICBM missiles
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Monday to ramp up his development of nuclear arms, as a military parade in Pyongyang showcased the country's most advanced weaponry yet -- including an intercontinental ballistic missile experts say puts the entire US mainland in range.
CNN: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Monday to ramp up his development of nuclear arms, as a military parade in Pyongyang showcased the country's most advanced weaponry yet -- including an intercontinental ballistic missile experts say puts the entire US mainland in range.
The country would "strengthen and develop" its nuclear forces at the "highest possible" speed, Kim said as a Hwasong-17 ICBM, multiple giant rocket launchers, and a submarine-launched ballistic missile, were all paraded through the streets of the North Korean capital.
Experts said the parade -- held to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army -- offered a glimpse into Kim's ambitions for his weapons program, particularly his efforts to develop solid-fueled missiles that would be easier to hide from foreign spy agencies. It also offered an insight into his mindset, they said.
Any country or force that tried to confront North Korea militarily would "cease to exist," Kim said as he described his nuclear forces as both a "symbol of national power and the basis of our military power."
"True peace can be trusted and national dignity and national sovereignty can be guaranteed by the powerful self-defense force that can overcome the enemy," Kim said in a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He said his nuclear force's first mission was "to deter war," but if anyone tried to "to take away the fundamental interests of our country, our nuclear force will have no choice but to carry out its second mission." He did not elaborate on what that second mission would be.