North Korea said Saturday it was seeking military “equilibrium” with the United States as leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to complete Pyongyang’s nuclear program, which he said had “nearly reached the terminal”.

North Korea successfully fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, responding to a new round of UN sanctions over its sixth nuclear test with its furthest-ever missile flight.

“Our final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK,” leader Kim said, according to a report carried by the official KCNA news agency.

Kim said the country was close to the goal of completing its nuclear ambitions and should use all power at its disposal to finish the task, saying it had “nearly reached the terminal”, the official KCNA news agency reported.

Kim said Friday’s launch, which he described as a drill rather than a test, had increased the North’s “combat power of the nuclear force”, KCNA reported.

“We should clearly show the big power chauvinists how our state attains the goal of completing its nuclear force despite their limitless sanctions and blockade,” Kim said, according to KCNA.

The UN Security Council condemned Friday’s launch as “highly provocative” and US President Donald Trump scheduled talks with the leaders of Japan and South Korea to address the crisis.

Source: AFP