North Korea To US: Take Hydrogen Bomb Test Threat ‘Literally’

A North Korean official said that the U.S. should take North Korea’s threat of testing a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean seriously in an interview with CNN.

“The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our Supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally,” said Ri Yong Pil, a senior diplomat in North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

The threat of a nuclear test over the Pacific Ocean first came after President Donald Trump gave a blustery speech before the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself,” said Trump, referring to North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

Trump also threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea in the speech.

North Korea has been hastily advancing its missile and nuclear weapons programs, showcasing their progress to the world through provocatives tests. This year North Korea has accelerated the number of tests which have included two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, and two missiles shot directly over Japan. Experts theorize that the ICBMs could possibly strike most areas of the continental U.S.

North Korea also tested a nuclear bomb in September. It was the sixth and largest test in the country’s history. North Korea claimed it was a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb.

North Korea has long used threatening and blistering language towards the U.S., but Trump has been the first U.S. president to reciprocate that rhetoric. Experts fear that miscommunication could lead to hostility between the U.S. and North Korea.

Joint naval exercises with South Korea last week prompted another North Korean threat from the country’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Kim In Ryong.

“[Nuclear war] may break out any moment,” said the diplomat in a statement. “Unless the hostile policy and the nuclear threat of the U.S. is thoroughly eradicated, we will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets on the negotiation table under any circumstances.”