Kim threatens use of nukes, praises troops for long-range missile launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has a policy of not hesitating to launch a nuclear strike on a rival if provoked, as he praised troops involved in its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, state media reported Thursday.

Since adopting an escalatory nuclear doctrine last year, Kim has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively. But many foreign experts say North Korea has yet to obtain functioning nuclear missiles and is also unlikely to use its nukes first because it's outgunned by U.S. and its allied forces.

North Korea Monday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile tests in five months, calling it the drill a warning over confrontational U.S. and South Korean moves. North Korea cited a recent U.S.-South Korean meeting on boosting their nuclear deterrence plans.

The North's Korean Central News Agency said Kim met troops at the General Missile Bureau on Wednesday to congratulate them on their work on the launch of the developmental solid-fueled Hwasong-18 missile, the North's newest and most powerful ICBM.

During the meeting, Kim said the launch demonstrated the evolution of the North's nuclear doctrine and strategy not to hesitate even with a nuclear attack when the enemy provokes it with nukes," KCNA said.

Kim said peace is guaranteed by a war posture of being willing to launch preemptive strikes on the enemy anywhere to make it feel fear, KCNA said.

Last year, North Korea legislated a law that stipulates a broad range of situations in which it can use nuclear weapons. Since the beginning of 2022, it has also test-fired about 100 ballistic missiles, many of them nuclear-capable weapons targeting the U.S. and South Korea. Monday's Hwasong-18 launch was the weapon's third test-flight this year.

The U.S. and South Korean governments have repeatedly warned that any attempt by North Korea to use nuclear weapons would result in the end of the Kim Jong Un government. The allies have also expanded their military training, which Kim views as invasion rehearsal.