North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests while watching a ballistic missile launch test the official KCNA news agency reported.
While the report was not clear about which missile test was being referred but it most probably was referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea.
"Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said.
His country had miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, the North Korean leader was quoted as saying in state media earlier in the week.
The U.N. Security Council had to adopt a new sanctions resolution over North Korea after the country conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month and the tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula since then.
Although Pyongyang has rejected them, conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of U.N. sanctions which also ban ballistic missile tests. North Korea is developing long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and has a large stockpile of short-range missiles.
"It's simply rash and thoughtless behavior by someone who has no idea how the world works," South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said when asked about Kim's comments.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remained "gravely concerned" by the situation and called on Pyongyang to "cease destabilizing acts".
All sides were urged to be "patient and brave", show goodwill and resume the talks process in one of China’s top newspaper, the People's Daily in China. It has been North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer.
South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile or had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead.
It had seen no evidence that North Korea had succeeded in miniaturizing a warhead, the U.S. Defence Department said this week.
It was "prudent" for him to assume North Korea could both miniaturize a warhead and put it on an ICBM that could target the United States, said Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending U.S. air space, told a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday.
"Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want (me) to base my readiness assessment on a low probability," he said.
As the two allies – South Korea and the United states, began large-scale military drills, North Korea has issued nearly daily reports in recent days of Kim's instructions to fight both the countries.
North Korea threatened to respond with an all-out offensive calling the annual drills "nuclear war moves". In the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies, Kim last week ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons.
Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement, the United States and South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea.
(Source:www.reuters.com)
While the report was not clear about which missile test was being referred but it most probably was referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea.
"Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said.
His country had miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, the North Korean leader was quoted as saying in state media earlier in the week.
The U.N. Security Council had to adopt a new sanctions resolution over North Korea after the country conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month and the tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula since then.
Although Pyongyang has rejected them, conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of U.N. sanctions which also ban ballistic missile tests. North Korea is developing long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and has a large stockpile of short-range missiles.
"It's simply rash and thoughtless behavior by someone who has no idea how the world works," South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said when asked about Kim's comments.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remained "gravely concerned" by the situation and called on Pyongyang to "cease destabilizing acts".
All sides were urged to be "patient and brave", show goodwill and resume the talks process in one of China’s top newspaper, the People's Daily in China. It has been North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer.
South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile or had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead.
It had seen no evidence that North Korea had succeeded in miniaturizing a warhead, the U.S. Defence Department said this week.
It was "prudent" for him to assume North Korea could both miniaturize a warhead and put it on an ICBM that could target the United States, said Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending U.S. air space, told a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday.
"Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want (me) to base my readiness assessment on a low probability," he said.
As the two allies – South Korea and the United states, began large-scale military drills, North Korea has issued nearly daily reports in recent days of Kim's instructions to fight both the countries.
North Korea threatened to respond with an all-out offensive calling the annual drills "nuclear war moves". In the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies, Kim last week ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons.
Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement, the United States and South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea.
(Source:www.reuters.com)