{"id":29338,"date":"2017-01-01T22:17:56","date_gmt":"2017-01-01T22:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=29338"},"modified":"2017-01-01T22:17:56","modified_gmt":"2017-01-01T22:17:56","slug":"n-korea-in-final-stages-of-test-launching-icbm-kim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=29338","title":{"rendered":"N Korea in \u2018final stages of test launching ICBM\u2019: Kim"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
A man watches a television news broadcast at a railway station in Seoul yesterday showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's New Year's speech. North Korea is in the “final stages” of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, leader Kim Jong-Un said on January 1, claiming the country had significantly bolstered its nuclear deterrent. AFP photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AFP, SEOUL: North Korea is in the \u201cfinal stages\u201d of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, leader Kim Jong-Un said Sunday, adding the country had significantly bolstered its nuclear deterrent in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile,\u201d Kim said in a 30-minute televised New Year\u2019s speech, pointing to a string of nuclear and missile tests last year.<\/p>\n

Pyongyang had \u201csoared as a nuclear power\u201d, he said, adding it was now a \u201cmilitary power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy\u201d.<\/p>\n

The country carried out two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches last year along in pursuit of its oft-stated goal\u2014developing a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen marvellous feats for bolstering our military power, including the fact that our preparations for test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile are in the final stages,\u201d Kim added.<\/p>\n

Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realising its full nuclear ambitions, especially as it has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).<\/p>\n

But all agree it has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over as leader from his father Kim Jong-Il, who died in December 2011.<\/p>\n

A senior US defence official said last month that the North has developed the capability to pair a nuclear warhead with a missile and launch it, but has not mastered bringing the weapon back from space and onto a target.<\/p>\n

There are growing concerns of fresh provocations by Pyongyang following last month\u2019s impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, which has left the country with a caretaker leader\u2014Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.<\/p>\n

On relations with South Korea, Kim said the North was willing to \u201chold hands with anyone who wishes to improve North-South ties\u201d. But he denounced Seoul for pushing inter-Korean relations to their \u201cworst state\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must launch all-out efforts to pulverise actions by anti-unification forces like Park Geun-Hye,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kim called for an end to the South\u2019s annual joint military exercises with the United States\u2014a perennial thorn in North-South ties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AFP, SEOUL: North Korea is in the \u201cfinal stages\u201d of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, leader Kim Jong-Un said Sunday, adding the country had significantly bolstered its nuclear deterrent in 2016. \u201cWe are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile,\u201d Kim said in a 30-minute televised New Year\u2019s speech, pointing to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n