SEOUL • North Korea said yesterday it was seeking military “equilibrium” with the US as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to complete Pyongyang’s nuclear programme..
SEOUL • North Korea said yesterday it was seeking military “equilibrium” with the US as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to complete Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
North Korea successfully fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan on Friday, responding to a new round of United Nations sanctions over its sixth nuclear test with its farthest missile flight.
“Our final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military options for the DPRK,” Mr Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
Mr Kim said the country was close to the goal of completing its nuclear ambitions and should use all power at its disposal to finish the task, saying it had “nearly reached the terminal”, KCNA reported.
The UN Security Council condemned the launch as “highly provocative”. It is due to hold a ministerial-level meeting on Thursday this week on the threat from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction with a focus on enforcing sanctions on North Korea, diplomats said.