North Korean leader vows to develop more powerful weaponry

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in the background (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to develop more powerful means of attack, days after the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in more than four years.

The statement suggests North Korea might perform additional launches or even test a nuclear device soon as it pushes to modernise its arsenal and increase pressure on the US administration while nuclear diplomacy remains stalled.