North Korean Leader Calls for Stronger Nuke Force

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed the need to bolster the country's nuclear force when he observed the latest launches of ballistic missiles, the state-run media said Tuesday.

    The North's leader was present for the test-firing of ballistic rockets by artillery units of the Korean People's Army (KPA), according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). On Monday, North Korea test-fired three mid-range Rodong missiles toward Japan in an apparent show of force as the Group of 20 major economies summit meeting was held in China. 

    The launch also came four days before the 68th anniversary of the establishment of the North Korean regime. The KCNA reported that Kim "stressed the need to continue making miraculous achievements in bolstering up the nuclear force" in its historic year that started with the country's test of a hydrogen bomb. 

    The artillery units of the KPA Strategic Force "demonstrated before the world their military might as a strong service capable of mounting a pre-emptive attack on the enemies any time and from any place," it reported. It added that those units are tasked with striking US military bases in the Pacific region in a contingency. 

    North Korea has increased tests of ballistic missiles in violation of relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology. Since the North's leader took office in late 2011, North Korea has test-fired more than 30 ballistic missiles, including intermediate-range Musudan missiles, which theoretically can fly as far as the US territory of Guam.

Source: QNA