The agency quoted Kim as saying the North can now tip intercontinental ballistic missiles keeping the U.S. mainland within striking distance and reducing “them to ashes so that they may not survive in our planet”.
Advertisement
The test was conducted at the North’s missile station near its west coast, where, in February, the country launched a long-range rocket that put an object into space orbit, KCNA said.
(Vatican Radio) North Korean state television is reporting the test of a rocket engine for boosting its long-range nuclear arsenal. In March, Pyongyang claimed to have miniaturized a nuclear warhead to be mounted on ballistic missiles.
North Korea has threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes against New York City, Washington and Seoul as its increased military testing and nuclear weapons development have been met with stepped up military readiness from South Korea and the United States and tougher U.N. sanctions.
The North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and the rocket launch in February, in defiance of worldwide warnings and past United Nations sanctions, triggering a new Security Council resolution that imposed more punishment.
However, the claim of successful hydrogen bomb test in January has raised questions among experts about its success.
13 North Korean workers (one man and 12 women) at an overseas restaurants who entered South Korea on April. 7, wearing masks to prevent their identities.
October 9, 2006: North Korea carries out its first atomic test.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called on North Korea to “refrain from actions and rhetoric that further destabilize the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments and global obligations”.
The defectors said they learned about the South by watching South Korean TV dramas online and began to distrust North Korean propaganda, Mr Jeong said. The North’s official Rodong Sinmun published photos of Kim smiling widely and clapping with officials.
North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un. The veracity of the photographs could not be independently confirmed.
Both South Korea and United States have raised concerns over North’s statements about quick progress in nuclear and missile programmes ahead of the party congress next month where the nation is expected to announce itself as major nuclear weapon state.
Advertisement
A video released on Saturday showed Kim supervising a missile test and military drills but it did not specify the dates. The rocket launch is seen as a test of nuclear-capable weaponry.
