North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstering nuclear forces this year during a visit to the country's nuclear material production base and nuclear weapons institute, state media KCNA said on Wednesday.

North Korea has test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, the North's state media reported Sunday, quoting Kim as saying that Pyongyang's deterrence means are being perfected.

North Korea said Sunday that it tested a cruise missile system, its third known weapons display this year, and vowed “the toughest” response to what it called the escalation of U.

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North Korea's foreign ministry vowed the "toughest counteraction" against the United States as long as Washington "refuses" the country's sovereignty.

The action suggested North Korea will likely maintain its its confrontational stance against the U.S. for now, even though President Donald Trump said he intends to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles on Saturday the official Korean Central News Agency reported, marking a third launch this month as Donald Trump returned to power in the US.

North Korea has tested sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, Pyongyang's state media reported on Sunday. State-controlled KCNA news agency quoted the country's Missile Administration as stating the test-fire,