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North Korea's Kim Jong-un issues threats and olive branch North Korea's Kim Jong-un issues threats and olive branch
(about 2 hours later)
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said a nuclear launch button is "always on my table", warning the US it will never be able to start a war. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said a nuclear launch button is "always on my table" and warned the US it will never be able to start a war.
In a televised new year speech, he said the entire US was within range of North Korean nuclear weapons, adding: "This is reality, not a threat."In a televised new year speech, he said the entire US was within range of North Korean nuclear weapons, adding: "This is reality, not a threat."
But he also offered a potential olive branch to South Korea, suggesting he was "open to dialogue".But he also offered a potential olive branch to South Korea, suggesting he was "open to dialogue".
North Korea may also send a team to the Winter Olympics in Seoul, he said.North Korea may also send a team to the Winter Olympics in Seoul, he said.
When asked by reporters to respond to Mr Kim's threats, US President Donald Trump said, "we'll see, we'll see". What is President Trump's reaction?
When asked by reporters to respond to Mr Kim's latest threats, US President Donald Trump said, "We'll see, we'll see".
He was speaking at the sidelines of New Year's Eve celebrations at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.He was speaking at the sidelines of New Year's Eve celebrations at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
North Korea has come under increased criticism and sanctions over the past year because of its nuclear weapons programme and repeated testing of conventional missiles.North Korea has come under increased criticism and sanctions over the past year because of its nuclear weapons programme and repeated testing of conventional missiles.
The politically isolated state has carried out six underground nuclear tests over the years and has demonstrated missiles of increasing power. It claims to have a fully deployable nuclear weapon, though there is still some international scepticism about its true capacity to carry out such an attack.
In November, it tested the Hwasong-15, which achieved altitudes of around 4,475km (2,780 miles) - more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station. In his speech, Mr Kim re-emphasised his focus on the weapons programme, but implied the country still has a few stages left to go before achieving its ambitions. North Korea must "mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles and speed up their deployment", he said.
The country claims to have developed a fully deployable nuclear weapon, though there is still some international scepticism about its true capacity to carry out such an attack. Thawing relations with the South?
In his televised speech, Mr Kim re-emphasised his focus on the weapons programme, saying his country must "mass produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles and speed up their deployment". While his language against the US remained tough, Mr Kim did not employ his typically antagonistic tone when speaking about his neighbours in South Korea.
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, with the North marking the 70th anniversary of its birth and the South hosting the Winter Olympics."The year 2018 is a significant year for both the North and the South, with the North marking the 70th anniversary of its birth and the South hosting the Winter Olympics.
"We should melt the frozen North-South relations, thus adorning this meaningful year as a year to be specially recorded in the history of the nation," he said."We should melt the frozen North-South relations, thus adorning this meaningful year as a year to be specially recorded in the history of the nation," he said.
This is being seen as a marked change in tone after a year of particularly aggressive rhetoric. Youngshik Daniel Bong, a research fellow at Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies, told the BBC that addressing the South was a marked change from the norm for Mr Kim.
Mr Kim said he would also consider sending a delegation to the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February - a gesture which South Korea has previously suggested would be welcome. "North Korea usually ignores South Korea, maintaining the position that as a 'nuclear power' it will deal with the US on its own," said Mr Bong. "It appears that by engaging the South, he hopes to create an estrangement between South Korea and the US."
The South's President Moon Jae-in last month suggested delaying an annual joint military drill with US troops until after the Games. The North usually denounces any such exercises as a rehearsal for war. The analyst also said that Mr Kim could be seeking to improve ties to offer some respite from the growing economic pressures from the recent UN sanctions.
"North Korea's participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to show unity of the people and we wish the Games will be a success," said Mr Kim. Will North Korea now go to the Olympics?
Mr Kim also said he would also consider sending a delegation to the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February - a gesture which South Korea has previously suggested would be welcome.
"North Korea's participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to show unity of the people and we wish the Games will be a success," he said.
"Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility.""Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility."
The president of the PyeongChang Games' organising committee, Lee Hee-beom, told South Korea's news agency Yonhap he was delighted to hear of the potential participation.
"[The committee] enthusiastically welcomes it. It's like a New Year's gift," he said.
The only two North Korean athletes who qualified for the Games are figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik.The only two North Korean athletes who qualified for the Games are figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik.
The North has missed the official deadline to confirm their participation but the two could still compete with an invitation by the International Olympic Committee. Although the North has missed the official deadline to confirm their participation, the skaters could still compete with an invitation by the International Olympic Committee.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in last month suggested delaying an annual joint military drill with US troops until after the Games. The North usually denounces any such exercises as a rehearsal for war.