Kim Jong-un, Who Fired ICBM, Says "Will Not Stop Strengthening Nuclear Forces"

Kim Jong-un "ICBM Launch Shows Willingness to Respond"
Ministry of National Defense "Strategic Missile Sets New Record"

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, claimed that the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is an appropriate military activity signaling the will to respond to enemies, and stated that he will continue to "strengthen nuclear forces."

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 31st, Chairman Kim said at the ICBM launch site on the same day, "This launch is an appropriate military activity that thoroughly corresponds to signaling the will to respond to the adversaries who have threatened the safety of the Republic," and "It is an essential process in the course of continuously advancing our country's strategic strike capabilities."

On the 31st, when North Korea launched a ballistic missile presumed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room were watching news related to the North Korean missile launch. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

In particular, he emphasized, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will never change its line of strengthening nuclear forces."

Chairman Kim stated, "The security situation of our country and the increasing prospective threats and challenges require us to continuously strengthen modern strategic strike capabilities and to further perfect our nuclear response posture," and added, "The dangerous strengthening of nuclear alliances by adversaries recently witnessed and various adventurous military activities further highlight the importance of strengthening our nuclear forces."

This statement was released five hours after North Korea launched the ICBM. A spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Defense self-assessed that "it demonstrated the modernity and reliability of North Korea's strategic deterrent power, which possesses the world's strongest force." North Korea claims that the ICBM launch is not an attack but a strategic deterrent measure in response to external threats.

The North Korean Missile General Bureau conducted an ICBM launch on the 31st under the orders of Chairman Kim Jong-un, announcing that it has set a new record for strategic missile capabilities. Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, at around 7:10 a.m. on the same day, North Korea launched an ICBM at a high angle from the Pyongyang area. The Joint Chiefs of Staff assess that North Korea may have launched a new type of solid-fuel ICBM.