▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the launch of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Dec. 18, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ North Korea fires a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Dec. 18, 2023, with its leader Kim Jong-un observing the launch, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) NK leader-ICBM

(LEAD) N.K. leader says ICBM shows he won't hesitate nuclear attack in event of enemy's nuclear provocations

(ATTN: ADDS details throughout, photo, byline)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said this week's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated his commitment not to hesitate to launch a nuclear attack in the event of nuclear provocations from the enemy, state media said Thursday.

Kim made the remarks in an event held Wednesday to praise the Second Red Flag Company under the General Missile Bureau for Monday's successful launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim said the launch was "a clear explanation of the offensive counteraction mode and the evolution of the nuclear strategy and doctrine of the DPRK not to hesitate even a nuclear attack when the enemy provoke it with nukes," according to the KCNA.

DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name.

Kim stressed that a country's sovereign rights can only be guaranteed through "strong power."

"It is the genuine defense capability and defense of durable peace to have the real capability for preemptively attacking the enemy anywhere and the war posture, making any enemy feel fear," he said in the KCNA report.

Kim has earlier said that this week's missile launch showed what option he would take if "Washington makes a wrong decision." The launch marked the North's fifth ICBM test-firing this year, the highest number ever recorded in a single year.

The North said the missile flew 1,002.3 kilometers for 4,415 seconds at a maximum altitude of 6,518.2 km before coming down in the East Sea. Experts said the missile would have flown more than 15,000 km, long enough to strike any part of the continental United States, had it been fired on a normal trajectory.

The ICBM launch came amid strengthened efforts by Seoul and Washington to advance their nuclear strategy against Pyongyang's threats.

During the second session of the Nuclear Consultative Group last week, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to complete the establishment of guidelines on a shared nuclear strategy by mid-2024 and conduct joint military exercises simulating nuclear attacks from the North.

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