North Korea Vows 'Merciless Self-Defensive' Actions If US Imposes Naval Blockade

North Korea said on Thursday that any attempts by the United States government to impose a naval blockade on their country will be considered an "act of war" by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Should the United States and its followers try to enforce the naval blockade against our country, we will see it as an act of war and respond with merciless self-defensive counter-measures, as we have warned repeatedly," Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday, citing a foreign ministry spokesperson, according to CBC.

The KCNA further added that North Korea considered itself a responsible nuclear power and hence such a blockade would be considered a "wanton violation" of the country's sovereignty and dignity.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to meet with the U.N. Security Council on Friday. The meeting itself was described by KCNA as a "desperate measure plotted by the U.S."

On Wednesday, Tillerson said the U.S. is willing to sit down and talk with Kim’s government without any "preconditions."

"Let's just meet. We can talk about the weather if you want," Tillerson said on Tuesday. "We can talk about whether it's going to be a square table or a round table if that's what you're excited about."

Following Tillerson’s remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the United States' amended stance towards Pyongyang, which differed in tone from President Donald Trump’s statement in October which suggested negotiating with Kim’s regime would be a waste of time.

"This is a very good sign that shows that the American leadership is moving towards an awareness of reality," Putin said during his annual end-of-year address Thursday, Aljazeera reported. "We believe that both sides need to stop aggravating the situation. North Korea is a closed country. It's enough for one firing [of a missile] from North Korea and the consequences will be catastrophic."

Chinese President Xi Jinping also made similar comments about the escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea on Thursday, stating that war must not be allowed to break out on the Korean peninsula.

"The peninsula issue must, in the end, be resolved via dialogue and consultation," Xi was quoted as saying by state media.

US National Security Adviser HR McMaster, however, dismissed Tillerson’s comments on the Trump administration’s policy on North Korea. It is not immediately clear if Tillerson's overture was approved by Trump.

White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, read out a statement that seemingly contradicted Tillerson’s comments on how the U.S. plans to deal with the growing threat posed by Kim’s regime.

"The president's views on North Korea have not changed. North Korea is acting in an unsafe way not only toward Japan, China and South Korea, but the entire world. North Korea's actions are not good for anyone and certainly not good for North Korea," the statement read.