North Korea has made some strides toward the first part of its pledge to become a "powerful and prosperous nation" in the three years since Kim Jon-un took power but has fallen dismally short of the second.

While food shortages remain severe, the North has relentlessly worked on bolstering its military capabilities, especially nuclear weapons and missiles.

A senior military officer here said the North now operates about 30 nuclear-related facilities, including a uranium mine, a high-explosive test site, and a nuclear power plant. He added it could have as many as 20 nuclear weapons. That would mean its nuclear stockpile has nearly doubled in just a few years.

Since early this year, the North has test-fired 111 missiles on 19 occasions, but experts say there were probably more secret tests.

The missile arsenal has been diversified into five or six types, and their accuracy is gradually improving.