KIM Jong-un has vowed to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal – as the tyrant revealed a new rocket launcher that can unleash “excruciating mental agony” upon his victims.
The dictator, accompanied by his heir apparent daughter Kim Ju-ae, test-fired his terrifying “upgraded” missile system near Japanese waters on Tuesday.
Speaking in front of regime cronies at the test site, the North Korean leader announced he would “clarify the next-stage plans for further bolstering the country’s nuclear war deterrent”.
Kim said: “Today’s test is of great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent.
“The course of achieving this success was not all plain sailing, but the task has wonderfully been carried out by our scientists and technicians.”
He said Tuesday’s brazen launch was “aimed at none other than further raising the level of our deterrent against a nuclear war”.
Describing his new weapon, the pariah added: “The result and significance of this test will be a source of excruciating mental agony and serious threat to the forces that attempt to provoke a military confrontation with us.”
Kim’s new toy appears to be a version of the KN-25 – a 600-millimetre multiple rocket launcher, reports said.
The upgraded system may be an attempt to overcome weaknesses of similar weapons used by Pyongyang allies such as Russia and Iran.
Ukrainian and Israeli counter techniques including jamming have successfully nullified certain missile guiding systems.
Kim’s rockets “hit a target” near the Sea of Japan some 358 kilometres away, Pyongyang claimed.
It comes as Kim continues to groom his daughter, believed to be in her teens, to become his eventual successor, according to South Korean intelligence.
The North Korean dictator is believed to have three children in total, an eldest son and two younger daughters.
It is currently unknown whether Ju-ae is the youngest or middle child, and she is the only child whose name is known.
Condemning the recent test, South Korea said it was working with the US and Japan to “operate channels to swiftly share relevant information and assessments when North Korea launches ballistic missiles and there was communication among the three sides regarding the latest launch”.
Seoul said: “North Korea’s ballistic missile launches violate multiple UN security council resolutions and there has been no change in our position that we respond firmly in coordination with the international community.”
The test marked North Korea‘s second launch in January.
Earlier this month, Kim fired a volley of missiles hours before South Korea‘s leader travelled to China for a summit.
Ju-ae’s appearance sparked frantic speculation that she was being groomed as a potential successor for her dad when she accompanied him on a visit to China in September.
Kim Jong-un had accompanied his father and predecessor Kim Jong Il for public appearances shortly before his death in 2011.
He was Kim Jong Il’s younger son, and two of his elder brothers were passed over in favour of him.
Kim also has a secret son studying in the West who is poised to succeed him when the times comes, according to a bombshell claim.
It comes after the dictator was snapped grinning ear-to-ear while poolside in his full suit as he opened a new holiday camp.
While world leaders were banging their heads together over the future of Greenland and the Ukraine war with Russia at the Davos summit, the North Korean leader kicked back at the plush facility.
