SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country aimed to have the world's most powerful nuclear force as he celebrated the launch of its newest intercontinental ballistic missile at a ceremony with his young daughter, state media reported Sunday.

Kim also handed promotions to more than 100 officials and scientists for their work on the Hwasong-17 — dubbed the 'monster missile' by analysts and believed to be capable of reaching the US mainland — just days after Pyongyang test-fired it in one of its most powerful launches yet.