Kim Jong-un Calls for Boosting N Korean Defense to Send 'Package of Gifts' to US

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for developing the country's defense industry in order to send a bigger "package of gifts" to the United States.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The statement was made following the Monday launch of a ballistic missile that was claimed to be successful, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.

Kim pointed out that with any new victory of North Korea, the United States and South Korea would get more worried.

On Monday, Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile that flew some 280 miles and fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. The move has already been criticized by Japanese, South Korean and Russian officials.

Since the beginning of 2016, North Korea has carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, prompting worldwide criticism and the escalation of tensions on the peninsula. The international community, including the United States, has criticized the military activities of the Asian nation and tightened the sanctions regime against Pyongyang.