Kim signals acceleration of North Korean nuclear programme

dpa Seoul North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to speed up his country’s development of nuclear weapons - and not to necessarily limit their use to deter...

dpa SeoulNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to speed up his country’s development of nuclear weapons - and not to necessarily limit their use to deterrence - during a military parade in Pyongyang, according to state media on Tuesday.Nuclear capabilities must be boosted at “the fastest pace,” Kim was quoted as saying by state-controlled KCNA, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.Kim delivered the speech at an all-night military parade in central Pyongyang celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, Yonhap reported.Kim called the isolated country’s nuclear forces “a symbol of our national strength and the core of our military power,” adding that they must be strengthened in scope and quality and be ready for deployment at any time. North Korea would therefore take steps to develop them with “the greatest possible speed,” he said.While the fundamental task of North Korea’s nuclear weapons was deterrence, Kim stressed that they should not be limited to that. “If any forces try to damage our state’s fundamental interests, our nuclear force must resolutely carry out its unexpected second function,” he said.North Korea’s most recent military parade came at a time of great uncertainty in the region. North Korea has already tested missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), capable of carrying a nuclear warhead several times this year.UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing nuclear-capable missiles of any range. Analysts believe Pyongyang is holding the tests to increase pressure on the United States. US negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program have made no progress for over three years.North Korea tested a suspected intercontinental missile in late March, in defiance of UN resolutions banning it from testing nuclear-capable missiles of any range. The country is subject to strict sanctions on account of its nuclear weapons programme.The latest military parade reportedly included demonstrations of tactical and strategic weapons including North Korea’s largest ICBM, the Hwasongpho-17, which North Korea claims to have tested on March 24.