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Kim vows North Korea's nukes are not on negotiation table

Published:Wednesday | July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
AP
In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, a U.S. MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile is fired during the combined military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea against North Korea at an undisclosed location in South Korea, Wednesday, July 5, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delighted in the global furor created by his nation's first launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, vowing Wednesday to never abandon nuclear weapons and to keep sending Washington more "gift packages" of missile and atomic tests.

SEOUL (AP):

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed yesterday his nation will "demonstrate its mettle to the US" and never put its weapons programmes up for negotiations, a day after successfully testing its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

The hard line suggests that North Korea will conduct more weapons tests until it perfects nuclear-armed missiles capable of striking anywhere in the United States. Analysts say Kim's government believes nuclear weapons are key to its own survival and could be used to wrest concessions from the United States.

Tuesday's ICBM launch, confirmed by US and South Korean officials, was a milestone in North Korea's efforts to develop long-range, nuclear-armed missiles. But the North isn't there yet, and many analysts say it needs more tests to perfect such an arsenal.

Worry spread in Washington and at the United Nations, where the United States, Japan and South Korea requested an emergency UN Security Council session yesterday. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US response would include "stronger measures to hold the DPRK accountable," using the acronym for the nation's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

 

"DEEP STRIKE"

 

In a show of force US and South Korean troops fired "deep strike" precision missiles off South Korea's east coast yesterday. South Korea's military later released previously shot video showing the test-firing of sophisticated South Korean missiles and a computer-generated image depicting a North Korean flag in flames with the backdrop of a major building in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital.

North Korean state media yesterday described leader Kim as "feasting his eyes" on the ICBM, which was said to be capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead, before its launch. "With a broad smile on his face," Kim urged his scientists to "frequently send big and small 'gift packages' to the Yankees," it said, an apparent reference to continuing the stream of nuclear and missile tests Kim has ordered since taking power in late 2011.