NORTH Korea has declared it will continue to build its nuclear weapons and bolster them to the maximum amid fears it is closer to “the brink of war” with the US than ever before.
Kim Jong-un’s foreign ministry has vowed that it is “full ready to respond to any option taken by the US” following comments from President Donald Trump that he had not ruled military action against the rogue state.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said: “The DPRK’s [North Korea] measures for bolstering the nuclear force to the maximum will be taken in a consecutive and successive way at any moment and any place decided by its supreme leadership.
“The US aggression hysteria has never reached such a height and the situation on the Korean Peninsula has never inched close to the brink of nuclear war as in the period of the recent drills.”
“The DPRK is fully ready to respond to any option taken by the US… [it] will continue to bolster its military capabilities for self-defence and preemptive nuclear attack with the nuclear force as a pivot.”
According to the North Korean official, Pyongyang has been developing its nuclear capabilities to fight off any US aggression.
It is believed to be a reference to the recent American air strike on Syria, which reportedly destroyed 80 per cent of its military aircraft.
The North Korean spokesman added: “The US would have committed without hesitation the same brigand-ish aggression in Korea as what it committed against other countries.”
The comments from North Korea follow repeated shows of military might by the rogue state, including a military parade of suspected nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles to celebrate the 105th anniversary of nation’s founder, Kim Il-sung.
Exactly 10 days after the show of strength, the dictator launched hundreds of ballistic weapons as the US and South Korea conducted joint military drills on the Korean Peninsula to celebrate the 85th annivesary of the Korean People’s Army.
On Sunday, President Trump warned Kim Jong-un that he “will not be happy” if North Korea conducts a nuclear test.
The Republican said: “But we have a situation that we just cannot let – we cannot let what’s been going on for a long period of years continue.
“If he does a nuclear test, I will not be happy.
“And I can tell you also, I don’t believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either.”
But later the business tycoon claimed he would be “honoured” to meet the North Korean dictator
