Story highlights Kim referred to his country as a "nuclear and military power," state media says 
 
 The country conducted two nuclear tests and various missile tests in 2016 
 
 Kim determined to develop nukes by the end of 2017 "at all costs," defector says 
 
 Seoul (CNN) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that his country is close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. 
 
 "Research and development of the cutting-edge tech weapons are actively progressing and strengthening our defense capabilities, including last stage preparation of tests for intercontinental ballistic rocket launch have been continuously succeeding," Kim said in a televised address on New Year's Day. 
 
 The speech was full of the North's usual self-congratulatory, lofty proclamations and anti-Western rhetoric. 
 
 Kim referred to North Korea as a "nuclear and military power in the east that formidable enemy dare encroach on" and said "unless the US and its vassal forces stop nuclear threat and blackmail and unless they stop the war exercises which they stage right at our noses under the pretext of annual exercises, the DPRK would keep increasing the military capabilities for self-defense and preemptive striking capacity with a main emphasis on nuclear force," according to state news agency KCNA. 
 
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 But there's reason to take Kim's threats more seriously than those in years past. ||||| North Korea's development of long-range missiles in 'final stages', leader Kim Jong-un says 
 
 Posted 
 
 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country's development of banned long-range missiles is in its "final stages". 
 
 In a televised New Year's address, Mr Kim said Pyongyang is close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). 
 
 "Research and development of cutting-edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage," Mr Kim said. 
 
 North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016, although some experts have said it is years away from developing an ICBM fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States. 
 
 The country has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. 
 
 The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9. 
 
 In February, North Korea launched a satellite into space, which was widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic missile technology. 
 
 South Korea 'to maintain military readiness' 
 
 Meanwhile in South Korea, Prime Minister and Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn has sought to bolster the military, saying Seoul will spend whatever it takes to support the armed forces. 
 
 "Our people have firm faith in our troops as they maintain stern military readiness with strong willpower," Mr Hwang said in a recorded message for the troops. 
 
 Mr Hwang, who is leading the country following President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, has dismissed calls by the opposition to reconsider a decision to deploy an advanced US missile defence system to cope with North Korean threats. 
 
 The plans to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, has angered not only North Korea but also China, which suspects that the system would allow US radar to better track its missiles. 
 
 AP/Reuters 
 
 Topics: defence-and-national-security, world-politics, korea-democratic-people-s-republic-of, korea-republic-of ||||| North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would continue developing long-range nuclear strike capabilities in 2017, while apologizing for failing to achieve certain goals in 2016, a video recording of his New Year’s Day speech showed on Sunday. 
 
 Pyongyang will reach the final preparation stages for test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Kim said, notable because North Korea has historically suggested its long-range rocket launches are intended solely for satellite launch purposes. 
 
 “The project of test-firing an intercontinental ballistic rocket enters into the final stage, which is included in [the country’s achievement],” Kim said. 
 
 The statement follows remarks by high-profile North Korean diplomatic defector Thae Yong Ho that North Korea intends to complete its nuclear weapons development cycle by the end of 2017. 
 
 Clad in a Western-style suit, Kim further said in his noon speech on Korean Central Television (KCTV) that Pyongyang would become “a powerful country with nuclear weapons” in 2017. 
 
 And Kim further pledged to reinforce North Korea’s self-defense and preemptive strike capabilities by “making nuclear weapons a cornerstone (policy)” as long as the United States and South Korea “continue their nuclear threats” and annual joint military drills. 
 
 APOLOGY AND ANGER 
 
 Unlike his previous New Year’s addresses, the speech was also notable because Kim apologized – to an extent – to North Korean citizens, while also referencing the South Korean president by name. 
 
 “Seeing that another year has started, my heart grows heavy with thoughts on how I may serve our people – the best in the world who trust and supports me with their solidarity – better and higher this year,” Kim Jong Un said towards the end of his address. 
 
 “I have spent the whole year with regrets and a guilty conscience, to see my ability failing to reach what I have planned for the people. This year, I have made up my mind to spur on to greater efforts and to devote all of myself to the people.” 
 
 But Kim criticized the South for driving inter-Korean relations to “the worst phase” and urged Seoul to come up with “aggressive measures” to ease military tensions on the Korean peninsula. 
 
 “The South Korean government should respond to ‘our sincere efforts’ in preventing military collisions between the North and the South and alleviate the state of tension,” Kim said. 
 
 “The ‘adulterine smear campaign against the DPRK and hostile actions,’ with an expectation of regime… change, should be immediately stopped,” Kim added. 
 
 While Kim said he was willing to discuss reconciliation with his South Korean counterpart in his 2016 New Year’s speech, he specifically referenced the name of the now-disgraced South Korean president in Sunday’s speech. 
 
 “We should vigorously engage in an all-national (meaning both Koreas) fight for smashing activities of anti-unification and unpatriotic group with toadyism like Park Geun-hye,” Kim said. 
 
 Kim also slammed the South’s political situation, describing a series of candle vigils in the South calling for impeached President Park to step down as “anti-government rallies.” 
 
 The rallies are a sign of an “explosion of deep-rooted grudge and anger against the conservative government, which strives for dictatorship, inhumane policies, flunkeyism and quislingism and fratricidal confrontation,” Kim said. 
 
 ECONOMY 
 
 On the economic front, Kim heavily emphasized successes the DPRK achieved from its 70-day battle and 200-day battle, the two major national campaigns which were underway for a large part of last year. 
 
 Describing the two campaigns as “grandiose and creative battles” that opened the path towards the “new age,” Kim said their successes brought the “turning points on every battle line” to North Korea. 
 
 Kim also referred to a “miraculous victory” while describing the North’s flood recovery work, a disaster which swept the country from late August to September last year. 
 
 Claiming that multiple factories, companies, and collective farms achieved record-breaking outcomes in 2016, Kim once again highlighted the mentality of Jagangnyeok (self-sustainability) as the key to boosting the economy in 2017, a term that was repeated many times during the previous year’s address. 
 
 Furthermore, Kim said the nation’s five-year economic growth plan – a long-term economic strategy first outlined in 2016 – should be continued. 
 
 And while stressing the need to improve the state’s scientific output, electric production, chemistry, metal industry, mechanics, farming, fishing, and coal production, Kim especially stressed the importance of light industry. 
 
 Ordering the nationalization of the state production process, Kim also outlined an intention to define proper business strategies to diversify and increase the quality of North Korean-made consumer goods produced from light industry infrastructure. 
 
 Kim has also said that workers should finish the ongoing refurbishment of Ryomyong Street, a luxury residence boulevard in Pyongyang originally meant to be completed by December 2016, but delayed due to flood rehabilitation efforts. 
 
 The annual speeches of North Korean leaders are regularly scrutinized by analysts for signs of potential policy changes for the year ahead. 
 
 This article was written by Dagyum Ji and JH Ahn 
 
 Featured Image: Rodong Sinmun ||||| "Threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people." Trump said in a written statement. "The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region." 
 
 The United States detected an intercontinental ballistic missile launch out of North Korea at approximately 10:45 am ET on Friday, the Pentagon confirmed to CNN -- Pyongyang's second such test this month. 
 
 The missile was launched from Mupyong-ni and traveled about 1000 km before splashing down in the waters off the Japanese coast, according to the Pentagon, which is working with interagency partners on a more detailed assessment. 
 
 The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. 
 
 "Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation," a statement from the Pentagon said. 
 
 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Japanese broadcaster NHK: "I have received the first report that North Korea again launched a missile and it possibly landed inside the exclusive economic zone." 
 
 Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile launched by North Korea possibly flew for approximately 45 minutes. 
 
 Suga told reporters there is no damage to any vessel or aircraft. 
 
 South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said they estimate that the intercontinental ballistic missile is more advanced than one launched last month based on the range it traveled. 
 
 "The altitude is about 3,700 km and the flying distance is about 1,000 km. It is estimated that it was a more advanced type of an ICBM compared to the previous one based on the range," a statement to CNN said. 
 
 The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., and the commander of US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, called the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Lee Sun Jin in the wake of North Korea's test to express the US' "ironclad commitment" to its alliance with South Korea and discuss military response options. 
 
 Hours after that call, the US and South Korean military conducted a live fire exercise as a show of force in response to the missile test, according to Pentagon spokesman, Capt. Jeff Davis. The exercise included firing missiles into the ocean. 
 
 Both militaries conducted a similar show of force, after North Korea's first ICBM test in early July. 
 
 New US intelligence on North Korea missile program 
 
 The ongoing assessment from the US intelligence community in recent months has been that North Korea has accelerated its intercontinental range ballistic missile program. 
 
 The US believes that North Korea will be able to launch a reliable nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by early 2018, a US official familiar with the latest intelligence assessment confirmed to CNN Wednesday. 
 
 That would be an acceleration of two years from previous estimates that put Pyongyang three to five years from fully developing long-range missile capabilities. 
 
 The official clarified to CNN that while North Korea can currently get a missile "off the ground," there are still a lot of undetermined variables about guidance, re-entry and the ability to hit a specific target. 
 
 CNN reported earlier this month that US intelligence indicated that North Korea was making preparations for another ICBM or intermediate range missile test. 
 
 Two administration officials familiar with the latest intelligence at the time confirmed they'd seen indicators of test preparations. 
 
 "In all honesty, we should not be surprised anymore: North Korea is slowly morphing into a nuclear and missile power right before our very eyes," said Harry J. Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and an expert on North Korea. 
 
 2017 has been a year of rapid progress for North Korea's missile program. 
 
 Pyongyang has carried out 12 missile tests since February and conducted its first-ever test of an ICBM on July 4 -- which it claims could reach "anywhere in the world." 
 
 "North Korea will continue to test over and over again its missile technology and nuclear weapons in the months and years to come in order to develop the most lethal systems it can," Kazianis said. "You can bet every time they do tensions will continue to rise. This is what makes the situation on the Korean Peninsula as dangerous as it is." 
 
 Less than six years into his reign, Kim Jong Un has tested more missiles than his father and grandfather combined. 
 
 What are President Donald Trump's options? 
 
 North Korea's latest test has spurred calls for a response from the Trump administration. 
 
 "North Korea's latest missile test shows the Trump administration's actions are not changing North Korea's behavior and it's time for the President to articulate a comprehensive strategy to the American people -- so far he's failed to do that," Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu told CNN on Friday. 
 
 Trump administration officials have warned that "all options are on the table" but a clear path forward has yet to materialize. 
 
 Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in foreign policy, told CNN that North Korea's missile launch shows Pyongyang is "absolutely committed to their missile programs" and not interested in tempering their activities. 
 
 Bandow, who visited North Korea just last month, said the regime is convinced that developing its missile program as a nuclear deterrent is absolutely necessary -- a mindset that continues to put pressure on President Donald Trump, who finds himself in a situation with no good choices, according to Bandow. 
 
 Those choices are further complicated by the unpredictable nature of Kim Jong Un, according to Lieu, who also told CNN he "does not know" if Kim would be willing to use a long-range nuclear weapon should he acquire that capability. 
 
 Trump has often cited China, North Korea's longtime ally, as a key player in reining in North Korea's quest to have long-range nuclear missiles. 
 
 But diplomatic efforts calling for China to put pressure on Pyongyang or enforce meaningful sanctions on North Korean revenue streams used to fund its missile program have proven ineffective to date. 
 
 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has put countries on notice that if they or their companies help North Korea -- also known as the DPRK -- they'll face penalties. That mostly means China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea's trade. 
 
 That doesn't seem to be working yet. 
 
 Lawmakers in the US House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would expand economic sanctions on North Korea, but the White House has not definitively said Trump will sign the sweeping measure that also tightens restrictions on Iran and Russia. 
 
 Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, implored Trump to sign the bill following North Korea's missile test on Friday. 
 
 "These missile tests must be met with consequences. Earlier this week, I voted to increase sanctions against North Korea. The Senate has since taken the same action. I urge the President to quickly sign these sanctions into law to thwart further escalation of North Korea's missile systems," a statement from Turner said. 
 
 Even if Trump does sign the bill there is no guarantee that additional sanctions will slow North Korea's march toward a long-range nuclear missile. 
 
 Pyongyang's nuclear aspirations have progressed forward rapidly despite previous sanctions, and Kim's regime has resisted any US attempts at negotiation that mandates de-nuclearization upfront. 
 
 Earlier this year, Beijing called on Pyongyang to suspend its nuclear and missile tests while calling on the US to stop military exercises on and near the Korean Peninsula, which North Korea sees as a threat to its sovereignty. 
 
 But neither the US nor North Korea has shown any willingness to compromise as the situation has escalated in recent months. 
 
 Last month, CNN reported that the US military updated its options for North Korea with the goal of giving Trump plans for a rapid response, according to two US military officials at the time. 
 
 Officials said the options, which include a military response, would be presented to the President if Pyongyang conducted an underground nuclear or ballistic missile test that indicates the regime has made significant progress toward developing a weapon that could attack the US. 
 
 But a US preemptive attack continues to be highly problematic option because the Pentagon has long believed North Korea would in turn attack South Korea. 
 
 CIA Director Mike Pompeo said last week that the Trump administration needed to find a way to separate Kim from his growing nuclear stockpile. 
 
 "As for the regime, I am hopeful we will find a way to separate that regime from this system," Pompeo said. "The North Korean people I'm sure are lovely people and would love to see him go." 
 
 Those comments were met with harsh rhetoric from North Korea, which threatened a nuclear strike on "the heart of the US" if it attempts to remove Kim Jong Un as Supreme Leader, Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday. 
 
 KCNA reported that a spokesman from the North Korean foreign ministry said, "The DPRK legally stipulates that if the supreme dignity of the DPRK is threatened, it must preemptively annihilate those countries and entities that are directly or indirectly involved in it, by mobilizing all kinds of strike means including the nuclear ones." 
 
 "Should the US dare to show even the slightest sign of attempt to remove our supreme leadership, we will strike a merciless blow at the heart of the US with our powerful nuclear hammer, honed and hardened over time," the foreign ministry spokesman added. 
 
 Earlier this year, Trump said he would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "under the right circumstances" to defuse tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. 
 
 No sitting US president has ever met with the leader of North Korea while in power, and the idea is extremely controversial. 
 
 But some lawmakers now say they would support direct diplomacy with the North Korean regime. 
 
 "Sanctions without direct diplomatic engagement has been tried for over a decade and failed," Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement. 
 
 "Pressure cannot bring North Korea to the table until we are willing talk to them. Now is the time for President Trump to clearly state his diplomatic engagement strategy, how he intends to use unprecedented sanctions pressure to bring North Korea to the table, and allow American diplomats to talk directly with North Korean diplomats so long as they freeze testing of their nuclear and missile programs," he said. 
 
 Lieu, a member of the House foreign affairs committee said he would also support engaging the Kim regime directly. 
 
 "If the choice is between military conflict or talking, I would support talking," Lieu told CNN.
– Kim Jong Un was up bright and early New Year's Day to make his first announcement of 2017: that North Korea is in the "final stages" of development of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile and a test launch is imminent, ABC Australia reports. In his address on state TV from Pyongyang, Kim said his country would keep ramping up its nuclear weapons program until the US backs out of holding yearly military exercises in South Korea, and he reiterated previous claims that preemptive nuclear strikes were on the table, per the Wall Street Journal. "Research and development of cutting-edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage," Kim said, per ABC. Mixed with this ominous message was Kim's revelation that "I have spent the whole year with regrets and a guilty conscience" for not reaching certain goals, spurring a promise to "devote all of myself to the people," per NK News. Although CNN notes Kim's speech was "full of the North's usual self-congratulatory, lofty proclamations and anti-Western rhetoric," it also adds there may be reason to pay closer attention to Kim's words this time around. North Korea stayed busy on the weapons experimentation front throughout 2016, despite 10 years of UN sanctions: It test-launched ballistic missiles at what ABC calls an "unprecedented rate," put a satellite into space in February (believed to be a test of long-range ballistic missile capabilities), and pulled off its fifth nuclear test in September. Experts have estimated that North Korea's timeline for being able to mount a weapon on an ICBM that could reach US shores is probably still two to three years away, but per CNN, a "high-profile North Korean" defector has said Kim is set on developing nukes by year's end "at all costs."