North Korea’s Kim vows to boost his nuke capability after observing new ICBM 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 country’s second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland U.S.  North Korea’s state media on Thursday disclosed Kim’s comments, after confirming the North conducted a launch of the Hwasong-18 ICBM the previous day. 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 a developmental, road-mobile missile, whose built-in solid propellant make it more difficult for opponents to detect its launches in advance.