text: North Korea says its nuclear capability is nearly complete | RiyadhVision
  Korea says their final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US.
  :: North Korea said on Saturday it was seeking military "equilibrium" with the United States as leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to complete Pyongyang's nuclear program, which he said had "nearly reached the terminal".
  Kim said Friday's launch, which it described as a drill rather than a test, had increased the North's "combat power of the nuclear force", KCNA reported.
  Equilibrium unrealistic
  The US Pacific Command confirmed Friday's rocket was an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) and said it did not pose a threat to North America or to the US Pacific territory of Guam, which Pyongyang has threatened with "enveloping fire".
  Seoul's defense ministry said it probably travelled around 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 770 kilometers.
  "It's too unrealistic for North Korea to reach equilibrium in nuclear force with the US even if it's true that the North has been making a rapid progress in its nuclear drive," he said.
  "The latest launch, which was apparently made from a TEL (transporter erector launcher or missile vehicle) instead of a makeshift launch pad, means the North is now ready to deploy the IRBM Hwasong-12 for combat purposes," he said.
  "Within three to five years, the North is expected to be capable of operating nuclear missiles as deterrence," Yang Uk added.
  The crisis requires resolution "exclusively through political and diplomatic means, by restarting direct negotiations", a Kremlin statement said following a phone call between the leaders.
  The sanctions imposed on Monday banned the North's textile trade, stopped new work permits for its laborers, and imposed restrictions on shipments of oil products, among other measures.
  In response to Friday's launch, South Korea's military immediately carried out a ballistic missile drill of its own, with the defense ministry saying it took place while the North's rocket was still airborne. President Moon Jae-In told an emergency meeting of Seoul's national security council that dialogue with the North was "impossible in a situation like this".