North Korea’s Kim again threatens use of nukes as he praises troops for long-range missile launch

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean state media is reporting that leader Kim Jong Un says 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. 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 on Monday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile tests in five months.