Kim vows to supply North Korea with "world's most powerful nuclear power"
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un confirmed Sunday that his nuclear-armed country intends to possess "the most powerful strategic force in the world", during a celebration of the launch of a new intercontinental missile, in which his daughter appeared for the second time in a public place.
Kim rewarded the soldiers and scientists who participated in the development of the new Hwasong-17 missile with a wide range of promotions.
Military analysts called this missile "the beast" capable of reaching the mainland of the United States.
This intercontinental ballistic missile was tested on November 18 and fell in the waters off Japan.
On Sunday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency quoted Kim as saying that the Hwasong-17 is "the most powerful strategic weapon in the world" and constitutes "a huge leap forward in the development of technology for mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles."
He praised the contribution of scientists, soldiers and officials of this program to achieving "the goal of building the most powerful army in the world."
In the order he issued to reward participants in the weapons program, the North Korean leader stressed that the goal of developing nuclear power is to "reliably protect the dignity and sovereignty of the state and people."
He said, "This is the biggest and most important revolutionary issue, and its sole aim is to possess the most powerful strategic force in the world, the absolute power that has no precedent in this century."
Hong Min, an expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang's promotion of the Hwasong-17 test was aimed at strengthening its position as a nuclear power.
"While the Hwasong-15 (launch) in 2017 aimed to become a country capable of threatening the US mainland with atomic weapons, the latest missile focuses on the goal of becoming the most powerful country with intercontinental ballistic missiles," he said.
On Sunday, the official Rodong Simon newspaper published more than ten photos showing Kim with hundreds of civilians and soldiers during the ceremony, accompanied by his "beloved daughter."
His daughter made her first public appearance last week, when North Korean media released photos of her holding her father's hand during the launch of Hwasong-17.
- Family photo - The photos released Sunday show the girl believed to be Kim's second daughter named Ju Ae.
She was wearing a black coat and her father's arm.
Other pictures show the father and his daughter standing in front of the missile, accompanied by soldiers in military uniform.
The sudden appearance of this young woman revived speculation about a future transfer of power in North Korea, after Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
South Korean intelligence services believe that Kim, who married in 2009, has three children.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the presence of Kim Jong-un's daughter is meant to portray Hwasong-17 as a "protector of the future generation."
"It seems that he (Kim) will continue to introduce his daughter on several occasions, using her as a propaganda tool," he added.
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