Kim Jong-Un declares ‘new birth’ in North Korea’s rocket program
Kim Jong-Un declared a “new birth” in his country’s rocket program as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to restrain North Korea's nuclear weapons plan. The North Korean leader was reportedly in attendance at the test of a new high-thrust engine.
Kim assured the “whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries.” The country’s official media service, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said the new high-thrust engine will help North Korea attain a world-class satellite- launching program.
The chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) declared that his country is close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. KCNA reports that the North Korean leader sees the success of the current test as a great event of historic significance while a new birth of the Juche-based rocket industry was unveiled.
Meanwhile, officials from the United States and China agreed to work together to push North Korea towards a different path. Tillerson said all options are on the table, including a military action against North Korea as the policy of strategic patience came to an end.
The State Department revealed that Tillerson and Xi had arranged that their countries will cooperate more. They have also discussed about the common interests of the United States and China.
Tillerson told South Korean officials Sunday that a new range of security and diplomatic measures are being explored, Express reports. He said Xi and US President Donald Trump must have more talks as he assured that the president of the free world recognised “very high value” on interactions with the Chinese president.
During the 2016 presidential campaign and since he took office, Trump criticised China for militarising the South China Sea and warned about the changes he will make on US’ trade relationship with the country. “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!” the president tweeted.
The United Nations forbids North Korea from conducting long-range missile tests, but allows its satellite program for peaceful use. North Korean officials said they will launch more Earth observation satellites and are building a space program that would include a moon launch in the next 10 years.