North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un said his country intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.
The announcement came after Kim inspected a Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong -- 17, North Korea's largest ballistic missile, or ICBM, and pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats.
Kim said that building up the country's nuclear capabilities would ensure the dignity and sovereignty of the state and the people, the ultimate goal of North Korea is to possess the world's most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century.
He described the Hwasong-17 as the world's strongest strategic weapon and said it showed North Korea's resolve and ability to build the world's strongest army.
North Korean scientists made a wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles, and were expected to expand and strengthen the country's nuclear deterrent capabilities at an extraordinarily rapid pace, Kim was quoted as saying.
Kim was pictured in photos posing with scientists, engineers and military officials involved in the test.