KIM JONG UN SAYS N KOREA WILL COMPLETE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
Kim says will use ‘all power’ to complete nuke programme
SEOUL: North Korea said on Saturday it was seeking military “equilibrium” with the United States as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to complete Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
North Korea successfully fired a Hwasong-12 intermediaterange ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, responding to a new round of UN sanctions over its sixth nuclear test with its furthest-ever 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 option for the DPRK,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim said the country was close to 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 Friday’s launch as “highly provocative” and US President Donald Trump scheduled talks with the leaders of Japan and South Korea to address the crisis. The US Pacific Command confirmed the rocket was an intermediate range ballistic missile and said the launch did not pose a threat to North America or to Guam, which Pyongyang has threatened with “enveloping fire”.
Seoul’s defence ministry said it probably travelled around 3,700 km and reached a maximum altitude of 770 km.