Pyongyang possesses the world's most powerful nuclear force.

In an editorial published on November 6 in Rodong Sinmun , the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of North Korea, writer Tong Thae-gwan claimed that North Korea's nuclear forces have significantly increased and "reached the highest level in the world ."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) walks near the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Aiming to praise Kim Jong-un's achievements this year, Tong listed events such as the test launch of the Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missile and the summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Recently, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev declared that Russia is leading its competitors in the field of nuclear weapons, for the first time in history, RT reported.

In a June report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI, Sweden) stated that Russia possesses the world's largest number of nuclear warheads, with 4,489 warheads deployed and stored. This figure does not include older warheads awaiting destruction. Meanwhile, the United States ranks second with 3,708 warheads, while North Korea ranks ninth with 30 warheads.

However, SIPRI notes that information regarding North Korea's nuclear arsenal is not highly reliable. The country may have produced enough fissile material to build 50-70 nuclear warheads, but it is also possible that it has only produced a smaller number.

Last weekend, North Korea decided to designate November 18th as "Missile Industry Day," commemorating the successful launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in 2022.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on November 6 that it is closely monitoring the possibility of North Korea launching a spy satellite this month, coinciding with the newly designated National Missile Industry Day.

The two previous launches in May and August both failed, and North Korea announced it would try again in October. However, this ultimately did not happen, and Pyongyang offered no explanation. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said last week that the delay may be aimed at fixing the technical problems from the previous two attempts.

In another development, the United States, South Korea, and Japan have agreed to launch a high-level consultative group on responding to North Korean cyber activities. According to Reuters, under the new framework, senior cybersecurity officials from the three countries will meet quarterly to discuss preventing North Korea from using revenue from cyber activities to fund its weapons development programs.

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