North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he won’t hesitate to launch nuclear weapons against the U.S. in response to a “nuclear provocation,” according to a state media report Thursday on Kim meeting soldiers responsible for this week’s long-range missile test.

“When a nuclear provocation from the enemy comes, our nation is ready to conduct a nuclear attack without hesitation,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying, referring to the U.S. and South Korea.

He added that Monday’s test launchof a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) served as “a clear explanation of the evolution of