PYONGYANG: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has said he has a nuclearlaunch button on his desk at all times so the US “will never be able tostart a war”.
In a televised new year speech, he said the entire US was within range ofNorth Korean nuclear weapons, adding: “This is reality, not a threat.”
But he also offered a potential olive branch to South Korea, suggesting hewas “open to dialogue”.
North Korea may also send a team to the Winter Olympics in Seoul, he said.
When asked by reporters to respond to Kim’s threats, US President DonaldTrump said, “we’ll see, we’ll see”.
He was speaking at the sidelines of New Year’s Eve celebrations at hisMar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
North Korea has come under increased sanctions over the past year becauseof its nuclear weapons programme and repeated testing of conventionalmissiles.
The politically isolated state has carried out six underground nucleartests and has demonstrated missiles of increasing power.
In November, it tested the Hwasong-15, which achieved altitudes of around4,475km (2,780 miles) – more than 10 times the height of the InternationalSpace Station.
The country claims to have developed a fully deployable nuclear weapon,though there is still some international scepticism about its true capacityto carry out such an attack.
In his televised speech, Kim re-emphasised his focus on the weaponsprogramme, saying his country must “mass produce nuclear warheads andballistic missiles and speed up their deployment”.
But he also suggested that the relationship between North and South Korea –still technically at war – could be eased in the coming year.
“The year 2018 is a significant year for both the North and the South, withthe North marking the 70th anniversary of its birth and the South hostingthe Winter Olympics.”
This is being seen as a marked change in tone after a year of, particularlyaggressive rhetoric.
Kim said he would also consider sending a delegation to the Games inPyeongchang, South Korea, in February – a gesture which South Korea haspreviously suggested would be welcome.
“North Korea’s participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunityto show unity of the people and we wish the Games will be a success,” saidKim.
“Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss thepossibility.”
The only two North Korean athletes who qualified for the Games are figureskaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik.
The North has missed the official deadline to confirm their participationbut the two could still compete with an invitation by the InternationalOlympic Committee.