(AP)- - Nuclear weapons capability would fulfill North Korea's longtime ambition of bolstering its global stature, but could also make it even more of a pariah and further strangle its economy.

The isolated, impoverished regime said its first-ever nuclear test on Monday was a "great leap forward in the building of a prosperous powerful socialist nation."

With food and electricity scarce, North Korea has had little to boast about. The country's official Korean Central News Agency called Monday's test a "historic event" conducted with "indigenous wisdom and technology."

The United States responded with a warning that the test would likely trigger a severe reaction from the U.N. Security Council.

Outside the country, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is viewed as a ruthless dictator who starves his people while seeking atomic weapons. But at home, the Dear Leader with the bouffant is praised as a prodigious general, visionary demigod and the "Lodestar of the 21st Century."

Monday's test will undoubtedly enter the communist lore chronicling Kim's fight against imperialism. For Kim, going nuclear also has practical payoffs. It is one way to solidify his authoritarian rule among the most important group: the military.

"This will only add to the prestige and pride of the North Korean leadership for domestic consumption," said Paik Haksoon, a North Korean expert with the Sejong Institute, near Seoul.

Some analysts say Kim needs the military's backing now more than ever, as international pressure builds and there is a growing undercurrent expressing hope for regime change.


From North Korea's point of view, nuclear weapons give the country an unparalleled deterrent from attack, something Kim has increasingly feared after watching the United States invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein.

No nuclear-armed country has yet attacked a fellow atomic power.

North Korea has long boasted of its nuclear program, infamously threatening to turn the capital of rival South Korea into a "sea of fire" during an earlier dispute in the mid-1990s.

Monday's test adds teeth to what has otherwise been blusterous rhetoric.

Kim took power after the 1994 death of his father, having watched communist regimes collapse across eastern Europe under popular uprisings while soldiers mostly stood by.

The leader's main contribution to North Korean political doctrine is consequently his "songun," or "military-first," policy, in which the military has the primary role in society.

Soldiers get first pickings of the country's scarce resources and are rewarded generously for their service as the vanguard against the outside world.

Analysts say that allowing the armed services to carry out a nuclear test, despite international condemnation, provides a morale boost for the military amid constant fears of a foreign attack.

On Saturday, Kim made a rare appearance at a rally with about 500 of his top commanders. While posing for photos in front of the sprawling Pyongyang mausoleum where his father lies in state, the top brass greeted their leader with wild cheers.