Kim says Pyongyang will further develop 'powerful strike means': state media

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles following a test-firing of what the North said was a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, at an undisclosed location in North Korea, March 24, in this photo distributed by the North Korean government. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed that his country will further develop a "powerful strike means" to reinforce national defense capabilities, state media reported Monday, days after Pyongyang claimed to have launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Kim made the comments during a photo session with officials and scientists who contributed to the "successful" testing of a Hwasong-17 ICBM, according to the 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," Kim was quoted as saying.

He added that Pyongyang will "continue to attain the goal of reinforcing national defense capabilities, develop more of powerful strike means to make our People's Army equip with them."

Kim also emphasized that a country can prevent a war and guarantee its security only when it is equipped with "formidable striking capabilities" and "overwhelming military power that cannot be stopped by anyone."

He then said that the development of the North's national defense would have been "unthinkable without the trust and ardent patriotism of all the people who rendered unconditional and absolute support and encouragement to the indispensable sacred cause of building up the nuclear war deterrence of the country."

Last week, the North claimed to have test-fired the Hwasong-17 ICBM under the supervision of Kim.

South Korea and the United States believe the North tested a Hwasong-15 ICBM, the same type it fired in late 2017, and disguised its launch as that of a Hwasong-17, informed sources said Sunday, after an analysis of the missile's engine nozzles and engine combustion time. (Yonhap)