By Josh Smith
SEOUL - North Korea boasted on Tuesday that it is one of only a handful of countries in the world to field nuclear weapons and advanced missiles and the only one standing up to the United States by "shaking the world" with missile tests.
International tension has been rising over a recent series of North Korean ballistic missile tests, actions long banned by the U.N. Security Council. January was a record month of such tests, with at least seven launches of nine missiles including a new type of "hypersonic missile" able to manoeuvre at high speed.
Also among the tests was the first firing since 2017 of a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of striking U.S. territories 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.
The series of tests since New Year represented "remarkable achievements" that strengthened North Korea's "war deterrence," the statement on the ministry's website said.
"There are more than 200 countries in the world, but only a few have hydrogen bombs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles," it said.
The statement cited the Hwasong-15, the longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ever tested by North Korea, which was test fired once in 2017 and is believed to have the range to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States, as well as the Hwasong-12, which North Korea once threatened to use on Guam.
Talks to persuade Pyongyang to give up or limit its arsenal in return for sanctions relief have been stalled since 2019.
The United States called on North Korea on Monday to defund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and prioritize the needs of its own people.
U.S. and South Korean officials say they fear the launch of the Hwasong-12 on Jan. 30 could be a step toward fully resuming tests of North Korea's ICBMs or nuclear weapons. North Korea has not conducted a nuclear test or fired an ICBM since 2017.
A Washington think tank said on Monday it has identified a military base close to North Korea's border with China that is likely intended for stationing ICBMs.