North Korean leader’s sister vows “overwhelming nuclear deterrence”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister warned Friday of an “overwhelming nuclear deterrence” unless the United States abandons what it described as its “hostile policy” against Pyongyang, according to state media.

Kim Yo Jong defended North Korea’s recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile as self-defense, according to Agence France-Presse.

“Under the premise that the United States refuses to abandon its anti-North Korea policy … we will strive to establish the strongest and overwhelming nuclear deterrent,” Kim Yo Jong said, in a statement reported by the (North) Korean Central News Agency.

The North Korean leader’s sister described the missile test as “self-defense… to protect the Korean peninsula from falling into a nuclear war,” and added that no one could blame Pyongyang in the face of Washington’s “hostile policy.”

Kim Yo Jong criticized the United Nations Security Council for its response to the launch.

In a joint statement, ten of the fifteen Security Council members, including South Korea, condemned the latest test. They pointed out that the launch of 20 ballistic missiles by North Korea in 2023 constitutes a “flagrant violation of many Security Council resolutions.” Kim Yo Jong denounced the statement and considered it “unfair and biased.”

Kim Yo Jong had indicated, earlier this week, that a US military reconnaissance plane violated North Korean airspace, and warned of the possibility of shooting down planes of this type in the event of a recurrence.

On Wednesday, North Korea, the nuclear-armed country, launched a solid-fuel missile with a range of 1,001 km (622 miles) and a maximum height of 6,648 km, before it fell into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan.

Experts said the missile’s trajectory indicated that it could reach the US mainland.