Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's John Sudworth asks North Korea's vice-foreign minister what message he has for Donald Trump.

North Korea will continue to test missiles, a senior official has told the BBC in Pyongyang, despite international condemnation and growing military tensions with the US.

"We'll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis," Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC's John Sudworth.

He said that an "all-out war" would result if the US took military action.

Earlier, US Vice-President Mike Pence warned North Korea not to test the US.

He said his country's "era of strategic patience" with North Korea was over. Mr Pence arrived in Seoul on Sunday hours after Pyongyang carried out a failed missile launch.

On Tuesday, while visiting Tokyo, he called the North Korea regime "the most ominous threat" to the region. He reiterated that while the US and allies would exert economic pressure, "all options are on the table" in dealing with Pyongyang.

Tensions have been escalating on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US.

Image copyright AFP Image caption North Korea held a grand military parade on Saturday

Mr Han told the BBC: "If the US is planning a military attack against us, we will react with a nuclear pre-emptive strike by our own style and method."

How did we get here?

North Korea has accelerated its nuclear and missile tests in recent years, despite international condemnation and UN sanctions.

Its aim is to be able to put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach targets around the world, including the US.

US President Donald Trump has said that will not happen, and stepped up pressure on the isolated North.

He has sent a navy strike group towards the Korean Peninsula, and the US and South Korea are moving ahead with the early deployment of a controversial missile defence system.

Despite the tension, North Korea may carry out a sixth nuclear test soon, observers say. It test-fired a missile on Sunday that exploded within seconds of launch, following a grand military parade on Saturday.

What has the US told North Korea?

Speaking alongside South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday, Mr Pence said North Korea should not test US President Donald Trump.

"Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan," Mr Pence said.

"North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region."

He reiterated US support for South Korea, telling his host: "We are with you 100%."

Last month, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that pre-emptive military action was "on the table".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US Vice-President Mike Pence: "North Korea would do well not to test [President Trump's] resolve"

But the US is also working with China, North Korea's main ally, to pressure the regime to stop nuclear and missile tests.

Mr Pence told journalists that the White House hoped China would use its "extraordinary levers" to pressure North Korea, the Associated Press reports.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul says US policy now seems to be to persuade China to contain North Korea while keeping the economic and military pressure on.

What does North Korea say?

Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC that North Korea believed its nuclear weapons "protect" it from the threat of US military action.

"If the US is reckless enough to use military means it would mean from that very day, an all-out war," he said.

The North casts the US as the aggressor.

At a news conference at the UN on Monday, North Korea's permanent representative Ambassador Kim In-ryong, condemned the US missile strikes in Syria, which targeted an air base after a suspected chemical attack by the government.

He said the US was "disturbing global peace and stability and insisting on the gangster-like logic that its invasion of a sovereign state is decisive and just and proportionate and contributes to defending the international order".

How advanced is North Korea's nuclear programme?

And what about other world powers?

China has reiterated its call for North Korea to stop all tests, and has also called for a peaceful solution.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing on Monday that the Korean peninsula was "highly sensitive, complicated and high risk" and that all sides should "avoid taking provocative actions that pour oil on the fire".

On Sunday, Lt Gen HR McMaster, the US top security adviser, said his country was working on a "range of options" with China, the first confirmation the two countries were co-operating to find a solution to the North Korean issue.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not tolerate "missile adventures by Pyongyang" but a unilateral use of power by the US would be "a very risky course".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday told a parliamentary session that diplomatic efforts were "important to maintain peace", but "dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless".

He added that Japan needed to apply pressure on Pyongyang to "seriously respond to a dialogue" with the international community. </s> SEOUL/PYONGYANG (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea on Monday that recent American military strikes in Syria and Afghanistan showed President Donald Trump’s resolve should not be questioned, but Pyongyang vowed to continue missile and nuclear tests.

After a huge display of missiles in Pyongyang and a failed North Korean missile test during the weekend, U.S. officials praised China for stepping up efforts to rein in North Korea, Beijing’s neighbor and ally.

But Pence and South Korea’s acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, said they would proceed with the early deployment to South Korea of the U.S. THAAD missile-defense system, in spite of Chinese objections.

At a White House Easter celebration on Monday, Trump was asked if he had a message for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and replied: “Gotta behave.”

But senior North Korean officials remained defiant.

North Korea’s deputy representative to the United Nations, Kim In Ryong, accused Washington of creating “a situation where nuclear war could break out an any time” and said Pyongyang’s next nuclear test would take place “at a time and at a place where our headquarters deems necessary.”

(Graphic - Carl Vinson strike group: tmsnrt.rs/2pqOMWA)

(Graphic - North Korea's nuclear program: tmsnrt.rs/2n0gd92)

North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC that missiles would continue to be tested on “a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.”

Kim Song Gyong, director general of the European Department of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, told Reuters in Pyongyang that if Washington made “the slightest movement” to make a nuclear strike on North Korea, Pyongyang would strike first and “destroy the aggressors without any mercy.”

He went on to clarify that the approach of a U.S. naval strike force led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to Korean waters would not be considered enough to constitute “the slightest movement”.

Korean tensions have escalated following repeated North Korean missile tests and concerns that Pyongyang may soon conduct a sixth nuclear bomb test in defiance of U.N. sanctions. Washington is increasingly worried about North Korean efforts to develop a nuclear-tipped missile that could hit the U.S. mainland.

Speaking alongside Hwang, Pence said the world had witnessed Trump’s resolve in the past two weeks, which saw a U.S. missile attack on a Syrian airfield and the dropping of a powerful non-nuclear bomb on Islamic State in Afghanistan.

“North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region,” Pence said on what was his first stop of a four-nation Asia tour intended to show that Trump is not turning his back on the increasingly volatile part of the world.

Pence, whose father served in the 1950-53 Korean War, visited the North-South border on Monday and said Washington would stand by its “ironclad alliance” with South Korea.

“All options are on the table to achieve the objectives and ensure the stability of the people of this country,” he told reporters as tinny propaganda music floated across from the North Korean side of the so-called demilitarized zone (DMZ).

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stands next to his daughter looking toward the north through a pair of binocular from an observation post inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The Trump administration has said that military action remains an option for dealing with North Korea.

But mindful that this would likely trigger massive retaliation and casualties in South Korea and Japan and among U.S. troops there, U.S. officials say the Trump administration’s main focus is on tougher economic sanctions to try to get Pyongyang to abandon its weapons programs.

Trump himself, when asked on Monday if he was considering military action, told Fox News Channel he didn’t want to “telegraph” his plans like the previous administration.

“We’ll see what happens. I hope things work out well,” he said but added that the United States had tried to engage the North Koreans in talks for a long time.

On Sunday, Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said that the United States, its allies and China were working on a range of responses to North Korea’s latest missile test, citing what he called an international consensus to act.

He indicated Trump was not considering military action for now, despite the dispatch the carrier group.

U.S. officials say tougher sanctions could include an oil embargo, a global ban on North Korea’s airline, intercepting cargo ships and punishing Chinese banks doing business with Pyongyang. They say greater Chinese cooperation is vital.

NO ‘RED LINES’

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said China had taken some “very helpful” steps, although it remained to be seen how effective these would be. Asked if Trump had a “red line” on North Korea, Spicer said the president did not believe these worked.

Susan Thornton, acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China’s top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, agreed in a phone call on Sunday on the need for strict enforcement of U.N. resolutions and for international action to press Pyongyang “to cease provocative actions and recommit to peaceful denuclearization.”

Thornton said any new North Korean nuclear test “would draw a pretty significant international response.”

“We’re definitely not seeking conflict or regime change,” she said. “But we are committed to defending our people and our allies should it be necessary.”

Pence is expected to discuss Korean tensions with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday when he travels to Tokyo for economic talks with Finance Minister Taro Aso. He will also visit Jakarta and Sydney.

His economic discussions will be closely watched to see how hard a line Washington is prepared to take on trade. Trump campaigned on an “America First” platform, and has vowed to narrow big trade deficits with nations like China and Japan.

But Trump has also shown willingness to link trade to other issues, saying he would cut a better trade deal with China if it exerts influence on North Korea.

China has appeared increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang, speaking out against its weapons tests and supporting United Nations sanctions, while repeatedly calling for talks.

Slideshow (13 Images)

China banned imports of North Korean coal, the country’s most important export, in February, and Chinese media have raised the possibility of restricting oil shipments to the North.

However, Beijing says the crisis is one between the United States and North Korea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the situation was “highly sensitive, complicated and high risk” and all sides should “avoid taking provocative actions “ </s> U. S. Vice President Mike Pence travels to South Korea on Sunday on a long-planned 10-day trip to Asia.

China said on Friday tension over North Korea had to be stopped from reaching an "irreversible and unmanageable stage" as a U.S. aircraft carrier group steamed towards the region amid fears the North may conduct a sixth nuclear weapons test.

Concern has grown since the U.S. Navy fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield last week in response to a deadly gas attack, raising questions about U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for North Korea, which has conducted missile and nuclear tests in defiance of U.N. and unilateral sanctions.

The United States has warned that a policy of "strategic patience" is over. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence travels to South Korea on Sunday on a long-planned 10-day trip to Asia.

China, North Korea's sole major ally and neighbour which nevertheless opposes its weapons programme, has called for talks leading to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

"We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether in words or actions, and not let the situation get to an irreversible and unmanageable stage," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing.

North Korea denounced the United States for bringing "huge nuclear strategic assets" to the region as the Carl Vinson strike group with a flag-ship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier steamed closer, and said it stood ready to strike back.

"The Trump administration, which made a surprise guided cruise-missile strike on Syria on April 6, has entered the path of open threat and blackmail," the North's KCNA news agency quoted the military as saying in a statement.

"The army and people of the DPRK will as ever courageously counter those who encroach upon the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and will always mercilessly ravage all provocative options of the U.S. with Korean-style toughest counteraction."

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea, still technically at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, has on occasion conducted missile or nuclear tests to coincide with big political events and often threatens the United States, South Korea and Japan.

On Saturday, it marks the "Day of the Sun", the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung.

U.S. ally South Korea warned against any North Korean "provocation", such as a nuclear or missile test.

"There is certain to be powerful punitive measure that will be difficult for the North Korean regime to endure," the South's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

While Trump has put North Korea on notice that he will not tolerate any more provocation, U.S. officials have said his administration is focusing its strategy on tougher economic sanctions.

Trump said on Thursday North Korea was a problem that "will be taken care of" and he believed Chinese President Xi Jinping would "work very hard" to help resolve it.

Trump has also said the United States is prepared to tackle the crisis without China, if necessary.

He diverted the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its strike group towards the Korean peninsula last weekend in a show of force. (http://tmsnrt.rs/2p1yGTQ)

Worry about North Korean aggression has also led to a deterioration of ties between China and South Korea because China objects to the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South.

"It's not hard to see that ever since the United States and Republic of Korea decided to deploy THAAD, the situation has not become harmonious but has become more tense," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, said in response to a question about the system.

South Korea and the United States say the sole purpose of the THAAD is to guard against North Korean missiles, but China says that its powerful radar could penetrate its territory.

The dollar fell on Friday against a basket of currencies, on track for a losing week as tension over North Korea underpinned the perceived safe-haven Japanese yen.

Japan's Nikkei business daily said the government had discussed how to rescue an estimated 57,000 Japanese citizens in South Korea as well as how to cope with a possible flood of North Korean refugees coming to Japan, among whom might be spies.

In Pyongyang, retired soldier Ho Song Chol told Reuters that North Korea would win should there be any conflict with the United States.

"We don't think about other things, we just live in our belief that we will win as long as our Supreme Leader is with us," Ho said, referring to Kim Jong Un.

Kang Gil-won, a 26-year-old graduate living in Seoul, said his biggest concern was not North Korea, but finding work in a tough job market.

"There's no concern that war is going to break out tomorrow," he told Reuters at a "study café" where many young job seekers prepare for interviews.

"Getting a job is a war that I feel in my bones." </s> PANMUNJOM, South Korea (AP) — In a trip full of Cold War symbolism, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South Korea with its nuclear ambitions, “the era of strategic patience is over.”

The unannounced visit Monday at the start of his 10-day trip to Asia was a U.S. show of force that allowed the vice president to gaze at North Korean soldiers from afar and stare directly across a border marked by razor wire. As the brown bomber jacket-clad vice president was briefed near the military demarcation line, two North Korean soldiers watched from a short distance away, one taking multiple photographs of the American visitor.

Pence told reporters near the Demilitarized Zone that President Donald Trump was hopeful China would use its “extraordinary levers” to pressure the North to abandon its weapons program, a day after the North’s failed missile test launch. But Pence expressed impatience with the unwillingness of the regime to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Pointing to the quarter-century since the United States first confronted North Korea over its attempts to build nuclear weapons, the vice president said a period of patience had followed.

“But the era of strategic patience is over,” he declared. “President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change. We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable.”

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to reporters Monday evening, said he hopes “there will be no unilateral actions like those we saw recently in Syria and that the U.S. will follow the line that President Trump repeatedly voiced during the election campaign.”

Meanwhile, China made a plea for a return to negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said tensions need to be eased on the Korean Peninsula to bring the escalating dispute there to a peaceful resolution. Lu said Beijing wants to resume the multi-party negotiations that ended in stalemate in 2009 and suggested that U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea were damaging its relations with China.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking to a parliamentary session Monday, said: “Needless to say, diplomatic effort is important to maintain peace. But dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless.”

“We need to apply pressure on North Korea so they seriously respond to a dialogue” with the international community, he said, urging China and Russia to play more constructive roles on the issue.

Later Monday, Pence reiterated in a joint statement alongside South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn that “all options are on the table” to deal with threat and said any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang would be met with “an overwhelming and effective response.” He said the American commitment to South Korea is “iron-clad and immutable.”

Noting Trump’s recent military actions in Syria and Afghanistan, Pence said, “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve,” or the U.S. armed forces in the region.

The vice president earlier visited a military installation near the DMZ, Camp Bonifas, for a briefing with military leaders at the joint U.S.-South Korean installation, which is just outside the 2.5-mile wide (4 kilometers) DMZ. Under rainfall, Pence later stood a few meters from the military demarcation line outside Freedom House, gazing at the North Korean soldiers across the border, and then peered at a deforested stretch of North Korea from a lookout post in the hillside.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking to a parliamentary session Monday, said: “Needless to say, diplomatic effort is important to maintain peace. But dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless.”

“We need to apply pressure on North Korea so they seriously respond to a dialogue” with the international community, he said, urging China and Russia to play more constructive roles on the issue.

Pence’s visit came amid increasing tensions and heated rhetoric on the Korean Peninsula. While the North did not conduct a nuclear test, the specter of a potential test and an escalated U.S. response has trailed Pence as he undertakes his Asian tour.

Trump wrote Sunday on Twitter that China was working with the United States on “the North Korea problem.” His national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said the U.S. would rely on its allies as well as Chinese leadership to resolve the issues with North Korea.

McMaster cited Trump’s recent decision to order missile strikes in Syria after a chemical attack blamed on the Assad government, as a sign that the president “is clearly comfortable making tough decisions.” But at the same time, McMaster said on “This Week” on ABC that “it’s time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully.”

The Trump administration is hoping that China will help rein in North Korea in exchange for other considerations. Last week, Trump said he would not declare China a currency manipulator, pulling back from a campaign promise, as he looked for help from Beijing, which is the North’s dominant trade partner. </s> Viewing his adversaries in the distance, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South Korea with its nuclear ambitions, "the era of strategic patience is over."

Pence made an unannounced visit to the Demilitarized Zone Monday at the start of his 10-day trip to Asia in a U.S. show of force that allowed the vice president to gaze at North Korean soldiers from afar and stare directly across a border marked by razor wire. As the brown bomber jacket-clad vice president was briefed near the military demarcation line, two North Korean soldiers watched from a short distance away, one taking multiple photographs of the American visitor.

Pence told reporters near the DMZ that President Donald Trump was hopeful China would use its "extraordinary levers" to pressure the North to abandon its weapons program, a day after the North's failed missile test launch. But Pence expressed impatience with the unwillingness of the regime to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Pointing to the quarter-century since the United States first confronted North Korea over its attempts to build nuclear weapons, the vice president said a period of patience had followed.

"But the era of strategic patience is over," he declared. "President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change. We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable."

Later Monday, Pence reiterated in a joint statement alongside South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn that "all options are on the table" to deal with threat and said any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang would be met with "an overwhelming and effective response." He said the American commitment to South Korea is "iron-clad and immutable."

Pointing to Trump's recent military actions in Syria and Afghanistan, Pence said, "North Korea would do well not to test his resolve," or the U.S. armed forces in the region.

The vice president earlier visited a military installation near the DMZ, Camp Bonifas, for a briefing with military leaders at the joint U.S.-South Korean installation, which is just outside the 2.5-mile (4.02-kilometer)-wide DMZ. Under rainfall, Pence later stood a few meters from the military demarcation line outside Freedom House, gazing at the North Korean soldiers across the border, and then peered at a deforested stretch of North Korea from a lookout post in the hillside.

Meanwhile, China made a plea for a return to negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Monday that tensions need to be eased on the Korean Peninsula to bring the escalating dispute there to a peaceful resolution. Lu said Beijing wants to resume the multi-party negotiations that ended in stalemate in 2009 and suggested that U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea were damaging its relations with China.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking to a parliamentary session Monday, said: "Needless to say, diplomatic effort is important to maintain peace. But dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless."

"We need to apply pressure on North Korea so they seriously respond to a dialogue" with the international community, he said, urging China and Russia to play more constructive roles on the issue.

Pence's visit, full of Cold War symbolism, came amid increasing tensions and heated rhetoric on the Korean Peninsula. While the North did not conduct a nuclear test, the specter of a potential test and an escalated U.S. response has trailed Pence as he undertakes his Asian tour.

Trump wrote Sunday on Twitter that China was working with the United States on "the North Korea problem." His national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said the U.S. would rely on its allies as well as Chinese leadership to resolve the issues with North Korea.

McMaster cited Trump's recent decision to order missile strikes in Syria after a chemical attack blamed on the Assad government, as a sign that the president "is clearly comfortable making tough decisions." But at the same time, McMaster said on "This Week" on ABC that "it's time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully."

The Trump administration is hoping that China will help rein in North Korea in exchange for other considerations. Last week, Trump said he would not declare China a currency manipulator, pulling back from a campaign promise, as he looked for help from Beijing, which is the North's dominant trade partner. </s> North Korea’s deputy UN ambassador accused the United States on Monday of turning the Korean Peninsula into “the world’s biggest hotspot” and creating “a dangerous situation in which a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment.” Kim In Ryong told a news conference that “if the US dares opt for a military action,” North Korea “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US” He said the Trump administration’s deployment of the Carl Vinson nuclear carrier task group to waters off the Korean Peninsula again “proves the US reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase of its scenario.”

Kim stressed that US-South Korean military exercises being staged now are the largest-ever “aggressive war drill” aimed at his country, formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “The prevailing grave situation proves once again that the DPRK was entirely just when it increased in every way its military capabilities for self-defense and pre-emptive attack with a nuclear force as a pivot,” he said.

Tensions have escalated over North Korean moves to accelerate its weapons development. The North conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile tests last year, defying six Security Council sanctions resolutions banning any testing, and it has launched more missiles this year including a failed attempt this past weekend. The North’s Foreign Ministry said the missile launches are as part of a normal process of building up the country’s defenses and economy. Ministry official Kim Chang Min also said in the interview in Pyongyang that the UN, the Security Council and big countries ignored South Korean missile launches and Japanese surveillance satellites. “This is the limit of double standards,” Kim of the Foreign Ministry said. “How can we have any dialogue to get any result with anyone who has this kind of approach?”

On Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Koreas and warned Pyongyang that “the era of strategic patience is over.” After 25 years of trying to deal patiently with North Korea’s nuclear and missile ambitions, Pence said, “all options are on the table” to deal with threat. Deputy UN Ambassador Kim said North Korea’s policy is shaped by the Trump administration’s push for “high-intensity sanctions” against the country, deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and launching military action aimed at “beheading” the North’s leadership headed by Kim Jong Un. He said rolling back the hostile US policy toward the DPRK “is the precondition to solving all the problems in the Korean Peninsula.”

Kim called the news conference to “categorically reject” the US decision to hold an open meeting of the Security Council on April 28 on North Korea’s nuclear program which is scheduled to be chaired by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He called it “another abuse of authority” by the United States, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, and a violation of the DPRK’s sovereignty. Kim ignored questions about the DPRK’s relationship with China and reports that the government didn’t respond to requests from Chinese officials for a meeting. Instead he reiterated two Chinese proposals that the US rejected.

One called for “dual-track” talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula _ the top priority of the United States _ and replacing the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War with a formal peace treaty, a key demand of Pyongyang. The other called for a freeze on US-South Korean military exercises and a freeze on DPRK missile and nuclear tests.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now </s> Vice President Pence on Monday said the “era of strategic patience” is over and warned North Korea not to test the resolve of President Trump and the US military.

“​T​he era of strategic patience is over,” ​Pence said in a speech just steps away from the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea​. “President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change. We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable.”

​The vice president, who is in South Korea for a 10-day tour of Asia, made the comments a day after North Korean President Kim Jong-un’s testing of a non-nuclear ​missile ended up exploding seconds after launch.

The failed launch came on a weekend when the rogue regime paraded an array of military equipment through the streets of Pyongyang in celebration of the 105th anniversary of their founder’s birthday.

“North Korea would do well not to test his resolve – or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region,” Pence said during an appearance with Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn. “Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan.”

Trump has also been in talks with Chinese President Xi Jingping for the country to use its significant influence on North Korea to persuade them to curb their nuclear ambitions. Pence reiterated that message on Monday.

“We also call on other regional powers and the entire international community to join us to confront North Korea and demand that it abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, to turn away from renewed hostility towards its neighbors, and to end the repression of its own people,” he said.

Pence remarked that Trump has “great confidence China will properly deal with North Korea,” but backed up a commitment the president made last week that “if China is unable to deal with North Korea, the United States, and our allies, will.”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Monday called for an easing of tensions on the peninsula and suggested negotiations continue to bring about a peaceful settlement. </s> North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador accused the United States on Monday of turning the Korean Peninsula into ”the world’s biggest hotspot” and creating ”a dangerous situation in which a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment.” Kim In Ryong told a news conference that ”if the U.S. dares opt for a military action,” North Korea ”is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.” He said the Trump administration’s deployment of the Carl Vinson nuclear carrier task group to waters off the Korean Peninsula again ”proves the U.S. reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase of its scenario.”

Kim stressed that U.S.-South Korean military exercises being staged now are the largest-ever ”aggressive war drill” aimed at his country, formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. ”The prevailing grave situation proves once again that the DPRK was entirely just when it increased in every way its military capabilities for self-defense and pre-emptive attack with a nuclear force as a pivot,” he said.

Tensions have escalated over North Korean moves to accelerate its weapons development. The North conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile tests last year, defying six Security Council sanctions resolutions banning any testing, and it has conducted additional missile tests this year including one this past weekend that failed. Kim spoke on a day that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South Korea with its nuclear ambitions, ”the era of strategic patience is over.”

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After 25 years of trying to deal patiently with North Korea over its nuclear program, Pence said, ”all options are on the table” to deal with threat. And he warned that any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang would be met with ”an overwhelming and effective response.”Kim said the Trump administration is ”trumpeting about `peace by strength”’ by deploying ”one strategic striking means after another in South Korea,” citing the Carl Vinson carrier group, nuclear strategic bombers and stealth fighters.

But he said the ”the DPRK remains unfazed.” ”We never beg for peace but we will take the toughest counteraction against the provocateurs in order to defend ourselves by powerful force of arms and keep to the road chosen by ourselves,” Kim said. He warned that as long as the United States and its allies ”scheme to bring down the socialist system in the DPRK,” the government will keep increasing ”its military muscle” to protect the country.

Kim said the DPRK’s policy is shaped by the Trump administration’s push for ”high intensity sanctions” against the country, deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and launching military action aimed at ”beheading” the North’s leadership headed by Kim Jong Un. He said rolling back the hostile U.S. policy toward the DPRK ”is the precondition to solving all the problems in the Korean Peninsula.”

Kim called the press conference to ”categorically reject” the U.S. decision to hold an open meeting of the Security Council on April 28 on North Korea’s nuclear program which is scheduled to be chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He called it ”another abuse of authority” by the United States, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, and a violation of the DPRK’s sovereignty.

Pointing to the recent U.S. airstrike on a Syrian base in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack, Kim said ”the U.S. without any hesitation perpetrates military attacks” and threatens sovereign states. He said the United States insists ”on the gangster-like logic that its invasion of a sovereign state is `decisive, just and proportionate’ and contributes to `defending’ the international order in its bid to apply it to the Korean peninsula as well.”

Kim ignored questions about the DPRK’s relationship with China and reports that the government didn’t respond to requests from Chinese officials for a meeting.Instead he reiterated two Chinese proposals that the U.S. rejected. One called for ”dual-track” talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula – the top priority of the United States – and replacing the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War with a formal peace treaty, a key demand of Pyongyang. The other called for a freeze on U.S.-South Korean military exercises and a freeze on DPRK missile and nuclear tests. </s> The announcement comes after the brutal regime of young despot Kim Jong-un fired yet another missile on Tuesday which crossed Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido in the boldest show of force from the DPRK in recent years. President Trump agreed with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to revise a joint treaty capping the development of the South's ballistic missiles, Seoul has confirmed. According to the White House, during the conversation Trump also gave "conceptual" approval to the purchase by the South of billions of dollars of US military hardware. A spokesperson from Prime Minister Moon’s office said: "The two leaders agreed to the principle of revising the missile guideline to a level desired by South Korea, sharing the view that it was necessary to strengthen South Korea's defence capabilities in response to North Korea's provocations and threats.”

US Pacific Command (PACOM) chief Admiral Harry Harris had made a similar promise during a meeting with South Korean Defence Minister Song Young-moo, as part of Mr Song’s five-day visit to the US. The Ministry of National Defence said: "The US commander reaffirmed Washington's ironclad commitment to defending South Korea in the face of North Korea's threats. "He said PACOM will closely consult with the South Korean government and the Joint Chiefs of Staff over all military options that can be considered." PACOM is in charge of commanding US forces' military operations in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes the Korean Peninsula.

Kim has sparked fury throughout the world this year by ramping up his missile programme and continuing to threaten the United States. Donald Trump brought tensions with North Korea to a new height as he outright threatened "fire and fury" against Pyongyang. The US President also has grown frustrated with China, Kim's closest ally, for its failure to rein in the despot's missile tests. The White House has said that North Korea “poses a grave and growing direct threat to the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as to countries around the world”.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also earlier this week insisted Washington will continue to seek a peaceful resolution to the North Korea crisis. He told Fox News: "We do view [the missile tests] as a provocative act against the United States and our allies. "We're going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign, working with allies, working with China as well to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table." The United States is technically still at war with the North because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North says it will never give up its weapons programmes, saying they are necessary to counter hostility from the United States and its allies.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol threatens to test missiles on a "weekly" basis, as United States Vice President Mike Pence warns the DPRK that the United States' "era of strategic patience" with the country was over.