North Korea portrays itself as a 'responsible' nuclear power.

North Korea insists it will not change its nuclear policy next year, while also portraying itself as a "responsible" nuclear power.

North Korea's Hwasong-15 missile lifts off the launch pad. Photo: KCNA.

"North Korea, a new strategic nation, a nuclear power with Juche ideology, declares: Don't expect any change in our policies. The existence of North Korea as an invincible power cannot be undermined or eliminated," Yonhap quoted the North Korean state news agency KCNA as saying today.

According to KCNA, the "stubborn" actions of the US against North Korea in political, economic, military, diplomatic, and other areas until the end of 2017 could not stop Pyongyang's progress and belief in victory.

After listing the missile tests of the past year, KCNA stated that North Korea, as a "responsible" nuclear-armed state, would lead the course of history, "weathering all storms to the only path of independence and justice."

The KCNA statement comes amid new sanctions imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council last week in response to its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test. Pyongyang called the sanctions an act of war, tantamount to a full-scale economic blockade.

Although U.S. diplomats say they are pursuing a diplomatic solution, President Donald Trump insists that Pyongyang must commit to abandoning its nuclear weapons before any dialogue can begin.

According to VNE