North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country aims to have the most powerful nuclear force in the world as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported today.
The announcement comes after Kim reviewed the Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong 17, North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missile, and vowed to counter what he called US nuclear threats.
"North Korea's ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful strategic force, an absolute force unprecedented in the century," Kim said in the order promoting the officers, adding that building the country's nuclear capabilities would reliably protect the country's dignity and sovereignty, Reuters reports.
He described the Hwasong 17 as "the most powerful strategic weapon in the world" and said it showed North Korea's determination and ability to eventually build the world's strongest military.
State media also showed Kim Jong Un's daughter accompanying him as he inspected police officers. Her unexpected first appearance at the Hwasong 17 test raised the prospect that the leadership of the totalitarian state could pass to the fourth generation of Kims.
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