Kim vows to boost North Korea’s nuclear capability after observing new long-range missile launch

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster his country’s nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland United States. North Korea’s state media reported Kim’s comments a day after the launch of the Hwasong-18 missile. Kim was quoted as saying deepening U.S. and South Korean hostilities require “more intense efforts to implement the line of bolstering nuclear war deterrent.” The Hwasong-18 is made for road mobility and has built-in solid propellant, making it more difficult to detect than liquid-fuel models before launch.