- Kim vows continued development of "powerful strike means" to reinforce national defense capabilities.
- Remarks made during a photo session with officials and scientists after the "successful" Hwasong-17 ICBM test on March 24.
- The March 24 launch ended North Korea's long-range missile testing moratorium since November 2017.
- Kim said strong military power and formidable striking capabilities are necessary to prevent war and ensure security.
- Analysts say the March 24 test likely used a Hwasong-15 disguised as a Hwasong-17; it followed 11 prior tests this year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated on Monday that his country will continue to develop “powerful strike means” to strengthen national defence capabilities.
Kim made the remarks while holding a photo session with officials and scientists who contributed to the “successful” test-firing of the new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on March 24, which ended the North’s self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing that had been in place since November 2017, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“We must be strong under whatever circumstances to defend peace, accelerate socialist construction and be responsible for the security of the rising generations, free from any threat,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
He went on to say that Pyongyang will “continue to achieve the goal of reinforcing national defence capabilities, developing more powerful strike means to equip our People’s Army with them.”
Kim also emphasised that a country can only prevent a war and ensure its security if it has “formidable striking capabilities” and “overwhelming military power that no one can stop.”
After analysing the missile’s engine nozzles and engine combustion time, South Korea and the US believe the North tested a Hwasong-15 ICBM, the same type it fired in late 2017, and disguised its launch as a Hwasong-17, informed sources said on Sunday.
The March 24 launch was North Korea’s latest show of force this year, following 11 previous rounds of missile tests.
