North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un on Sunday justified what he claimed was his country’s first hydrogen bomb test as self-defence to prevent nuclear war with the US, in his first comments since the explosion.
Pyongyang on Wednesday carried out its fourth nuclear test, angering the international community and raising tensions with neighbouring South Korea. The test was “a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists,” Kim was quoted as saying.”It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise,” he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North regularly accuses the US and its ally South Korea of warmongering. Kim’s comments came during a visit to the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces to congratulate them on the “successful” detonation, KCNA said, without giving the date of the visit.