Pyongyang went loud and proud on Monday about its plans for nuclear weapons as the United Nations grilled its representative over a recent missile launch.
"We will accelerate and will not let up on the build-up of our nuclear force that can counter any threat presented by hostile nuclear weapons states," said Kim Song, the North Korean ambassador to the UN, at a Security Council meeting.
"There will ever never be any change in this line," he added, referring to North Korea as a "responsible nuclear weapon state."
Kim's statement comes as Japan reported that North Korea fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles from its east coast that ultimately fell into Japan-administrated waters.
Launched on the eve of the US election, the missiles were characterized by Pyongyang as a response to recent joint military drills between the US, South Korea, and Japan involving their long-range bombers.
Those joint drills were a signal to North Korea after its Thursday launch of what it said was a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed the Hwasong-19, which also landed in the Sea of Japan.
Its trajectory was recorded as Pyongyang's longest-ever ballistic missile test, reaching an altitude of about 4,780 miles, though previous tests have extended further in latitudinal distance.
The US, Japan, and South Korea have condemned the launch.
In his comments to the UN, Kim said the Hwasong-19 had "no slightest negative impact on the security of the neighboring countries."
The UN Security Council had met on Monday to discuss the Hwasong-19 launch and to press North Korea on nuclear non-proliferation, but Kim instead blasted the meeting as "unlawful."
"Today, the nuclear threat of the United States against the DPRK has already reached a critical point in terms of its scale and dangerous level," he said.
The US says North Korea 'emboldened' by Russia and China
The US, in turn, accused Russia and China of protecting North Korea.
"Shielded from closer scrutiny of its sanctions-violating activities by Moscow and Beijing, Pyongyang, unsurprisingly, has been emboldened to continue advancing its unlawful ballistic missile and nuclear WMD programs," said Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador to the UN.
North Korean ties with Russia have more recently come under the spotlight as Moscow receives manpower and arms from Pyongyang to fuel its war in Ukraine. South Korea said earlier this year that in return, North Korea has been acquiring food, raw materials, and tech expertise from Russia.
Ukraine, the US, and the UK have estimated that as many as 10,000 North Korean troops may be embedded with Russian forces, and that at least 8,000 may soon be deployed to the front lines.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the manpower injection has given Russia a crucial way to sustain its attack on Ukraine, where Moscow has been estimated to be losing about 1,000 soldiers a day.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin appears to be struggling to recruit new Russian men for the war, with soaring sign-up bonuses in some cities indicating that the supply of applicants is running low.
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