North Korea has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy America and has now announced plans to carry out a provocative new test.
A senior diplomat from Pyongyang today said warnings of a possible atmospheric nuclear test over the Pacific Ocean should be taken “literally”.
The official told CNN the threat by the hermit state’s despot Kim Jong-un should not be taken lightly.
Ri Yong Pil said the foreign ministry was aware of plans for a launch and urged Washington to prepare itself.
He said: “The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally.”
Last month North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said Pyongyang was considering “the most powerful detonation” of a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
This would mark a concerning deterioration of the already-tense situation on the peninsula.
North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests in its history, with half taking placein the last 21 months.
A female soldier on duty in high heelsAt least 14 men crammed onto a vehicleSome trucks even appear to be powered by wood gas generatorsNorth Korea is famously tetchy about photography
All six have taken place in underground testing facilities deep within Kim's rogue state.
A seventh test carried out in the atmosphere above an already-turbulent region would therefore mark a worrying milestone in North Korea's march towards nuclear power.
The most recent test took place on September 3 at the Punggye-ri Test Site.
It was so powerful it was registered as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake by the South Korean government.
China and the US also registered it as an earthquake at at even-stronger 6.3 magnitude.
The US Geological Society said: “Possible explosion, located near the site where North Korea has detonated nuclear explosions in the past.”
Kim Jong-un has already put far more focus on nuclear testing and missile launches than his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim il-Sung.
CIA chief Mike Pompeo said last week that North Korea could be only months away from gaining the ability to hit the United States with nuclear weapons.
Experts say an atmospheric test would be a way of demonstrating that capability.
Trump next week will make a visit to Asia during which he will highlight his campaign to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
He has not yet made clear whether he will visit the demilitarised zone on the border between North and South Korea.
Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn: “I'd rather not say but you'll be surprised.”
Trump is scheduled to depart on November 3 on a trip that includes visits to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Mansudae Grand Monument. An enormous bronze statue of President Kim Il Sung and Leader Kim Jong Il, downtown Pyongyang. Image taken the day before Liberation Day where military personnel are visiting the monument to lay flowers for the leaders. LiberationPeople waiting at bus stop on the outskirts of the capital, PyongyangMan in military uniform watches over beach goers near Wonsan, East coast North KoreaGirls trying the flight simulator game at the Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex - a science and technology center housed in a large atom-shaped building in Pyongyang. The complex also features an ‘earthquake experience room, virtual science laboratory,’ and vLocals watch one of the rides at the Youth Funfair Pyongyang (also called the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park). A popular amusement park with locals in the eveningBoys watching videos at the Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex - a science and technology center housed in a large atom-shaped building in Pyongyang. The complex also features an ‘earthquake experience room, virtual science laboratory,’ and various halls equipWomen at reception desk of small beach hotel near Wonsan, East coast North KoreaClassroom lesson at Pyongyang International Football School, which aims to train a number of promising reserve footballers.Pyongyang traffic women salutingStreet food bar and restaurant located near the youth funfair, PyongyangMorning commuters on one of the Pyongyang many tram bussesWoman waiting for a meeting. PyongyangSchool girls crossing bridge on the outskirts of PyongyangMan riding a Segway outside the Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex - a science and technology center in Pyongyang.North Koreans dressed in formal attire at the Kumsunsan Memorial Palace, also known asApartment block central PyongyangOld traditional houses in central Pyongyang surrounded by newly built high rises.Pyongyang city view taken from the Yanggakdo International Hotel.
It comes after the US Navy sent aircraft carrier strike group Nimitz to its 7th fleet area of operation, which includes the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.
It joins two other carriers, the Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt, in the region. Additional aircraft carriers are usually viewed suspiciously by China and North Korea.
Navy officials said the Nimitz, which was previously carrying out operations in support of the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, would be ready to support operations in the region before heading back to its home port and the movement had been long planned.
And today Kim sent a congratulatory message to China president Xi Jinping wishing him "great success" after its Communist Party Congress made him the nation's most powerful leader since Mao.
The gesture from the North Korea despot was seen as a move for closer relations with its neighbour ahead of heightening tensions.
The North Korea state-run news agency said: "It expressed the conviction that the relations between the two parties and the two countries would develop in the interests of the peoples of the two countries.”
Analysts believe it is too early to say if relations are warming between the two nations.
Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said: "Congratulatory messages between North Korea and China is an old story and reading too much into the message exchanged would be a one-sided analysis.
"It's what they usually do and not surprising at all."
ExpresscoUknews
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