North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, says he is ready to nuke the U.S. if provök£d after watching a powerful missile test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weâpöns, state media reported on Thursday, December 21, 2023.

Kim remarked as he met with soldiers working for the military’s missile bureau and congratulated them over Pyongyang’s recent launching drill of an intercontinental ballistic missîl£ (ICBM), KCNA news agency said.

He said the test demonstrated the loyalty and strong stand of the armed forces and 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 att@ck when the enemy provoke it with nukes”, KCNA reported.

DPRK is the abbreviation for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korea said this week it had tested its newest ICBM on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear forces against mounting U.S. hostility.

The top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea’s recent ballistic missîl£ launches and urged Pyongyang to engage in “substantive dialogue without preconditions”.

Kim said Monday’s launch showed the military’s high mobility and rapid att@ck capability and called for efforts to further strengthen its combat efficiency, KCNA reported.