A North Korean official said Monday the regime wants to develop a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching "all the way to the East Coast of the mainland U.S." before engaging in diplomacy, CNN reported.
"Before we can engage in diplomacy with the Trump administration, we want to send a clear message that the DPRK has a reliable defensive and offensive capability to counter any aggression from the United States," the official said, CNN reported.
The unnamed North Korean official told CNN two additional steps are needed to achieve its goal of a reliable ICBM.
One step is an above-ground nuclear detonation — like the kind Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho suggested last month in comments about detonating a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
The other step is the "testing of a long-range ICBM capable of reaching Guam – and even further," the official told CNN.
Both steps are necessary for the DPRK to send that "clear message" to the Trump administration it possesses an effective nuclear deterrent, the North Korean official told CNN.
The official added one or both tests could possibly be timed to coincide with the US-South Korea joint naval drills, which began Monday and will last for 10 days, or could possibly coincide with Trump's visit to Asia next month, CNN reported.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday his diplomatic efforts will continue as "until the first bomb drops."
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