Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters – North Korea announced Tuesday that it is among the few nations in the world with nuclear weapons and advanced rockets, and was also the only one to stand up to America by conducting missile tests.

The recent North Korean missile test, which was long prohibited by the U.N. Security Council, has sparked international tension. There were at least 7 launches of 9 missiles, including one new “hypersonic missile”, which can maneuver at high speeds. January was an unprecedented month for such missile tests.

Check out the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile ballistic weapon, which can strike U.S. territoriales in the Pacific Ocean.

“In today’s world where many countries waste time dealing with the United States with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the U.S. mainland in its range,” North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

A series of tests conducted since New Year marked “remarkable achievements”, which strengthened North Korea’s “war deterrence,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website.

It stated that there are over 200 countries on the planet, yet only a handful have hydrogen bombs and intercontinental missiles.

In the statement was mentioned the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic weapon (ICBM) with the longest range. It was fired one time in 2017, and it is now believed that the missile has the capability to launch a nuclear warhead to any part of the United States.

Discussions about persuading Pyongyang not to use or limit its arsenal for sanctions relief are deadlocked since 2019.

On Monday, the United States called North Korea to stop funding its ballistic and nuclear missile programs. It also asked that it prioritize its people’s needs.

Officials from the U.S., South Korea and Japan fear that the Hwasong-12 launch on January 30 might be a move toward fully resuming testing of North Korea’s ICBMs and nuclear weapons. North Korea hasn’t conducted a nuclear weapon test since 2017, nor fired an ICBM.

Washington’s think tank, the Washington Institute of Technology (WIT), said Monday that it had identified a base near North Korea’s border to China which is most likely meant for ICBMs.