Kim Jong-un has ordered North Korea's nuclear arsenal to be ready for pre-emptive use 'anytime' following the United Nations Security Council's adoption of tough new sanctions.
Kim, who was supervising the test-firing of newly developed multiple rocket launchers, said North Korea's situation had become perilous and added that it should have the option of launching a 'pre-emptive attack', a departure from previous claims that the country's nuclear capability was purely a deterrent, reports Guardian.
Kim made these comments while monitoring the test firing of a new, high-calibre multiple rocket launcher just hours after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the resolution penalising North Korea for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
Kim said the new rocket launchers should be 'promptly deployed' along with other new weaponry.
The US-drafted UN resolution adopted by the Security Council laid out the toughest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear weapons program that will, if implemented effectively, apply significant economic pressure to Kim's regime.
The resolution breaks new ground, sanctioning specific sectors key to the North Korean economy such as mineral exports and seeking to undermine the use of and access to international transport systems.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye repeated a stern warning against North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and work to 'end tyranny'.