Take H-bomb threat 'literally'
A senior North Korean official issued a stern warning to the world that it should take "literally" his country's threat to test a nuclear weapon above ground as US President Donald Trump said that Russia was hurting US efforts to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons while China had been helpful.
The official, Ri Yong Pil, told CNN in an exclusive conversation in Pyongyang that the threat made by North Korea's foreign minister last month should not be dismissed.
North Korea "has always brought its words into action," Ri said, visibly angry.
Speaking on a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly last month, Ri Yong Ho, the foreign minister, raised the possibility that North Korea could test a powerful hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. The threat came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea in a speech to the UN.
"The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally," Ri told CNN in Pyongyang.
North Korea carried out the strongest of its six-ever nuclear tests in early September, claiming to have used a hydrogen bomb. The UN responded to the test by imposing fresh sanctions on the rogue state.
Ri also implied that diplomatic channels between the US and North Korea were nonexistent, despite US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reiterating over months that they are still open.
Ri's remarks come after Trump on Sunday boasted that the US was "prepared for anything" when it came to the North Korea nuclear crisis.
"We'll see what happens. ... We are so prepared, like you wouldn't believe," he said in an interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo.
Trump said in a tweet that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping after the latter's reelection and the conversation included North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un also wished Xi Jinping "great success" in a congratulatory but comparatively restrained message after the Chinese president cemented his grip on power at a landmark Communist Party Congress.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis said Washington is seeking a "peaceful resolution" with North Korea despite the tough rhetoric.
Mattis, who arrived in Thailand yesterday following a meeting with his Asean counterparts in the Philippines, said Washington was "not rushing to war" and looking for a diplomatic resolution.
"Do we have military options in defence if we're attacked, our allies are attacked? Of course we do," Mattis said. "But everyone is out for a peaceful resolution."
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