Explainer-How could North Korea use its nuclear weapons?

FILE PHOTO: A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during what North Korea says is a drill at an unknown location December 18, 2023 in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a missile test this week shows his country would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with strategic weapons, as observers say he is moving to make such forces operational.

Kim's comments are the latest in a series of statements and legislative changes that have outlined an expansive, ambiguous, and potentially destabilising doctrine, analysts said.