A senior diplomat in North Korea's Foreign Ministry says the United States should take quite "literally" the rogue regime's threat to test a nuclear weapon above ground, CNN reported Wednesday.
In an interview in Pyogyang posted Thursday, the diplomat, Ri Yong Pil, declared North Korea "has always brought its words into action," CNN reported.
After President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea in his first address to the United Nations in late September, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Pyongyang was thinking about testing "an unprecedented scale hydrogen bomb" over the Pacific.
"The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally," Ri told CNN.
North Korea conducted a sixth nuclear test in early September, claiming they had a hydrogen bomb that could fit atop a ballistic missile. In response, United Nations imposed new sanctions on the reclusive nation.
Ri also implied there were no diplomatic channels between the United States and North Korea, CNN reported.
"The U.S. is talking about a military option and even practicing military moves," Ri told CNN. "They're pressuring us on all fronts with sanctions. If you think this will lead to diplomacy, you're deeply mistaken."
President Donald Trump will be in South Korea during his trip to Asia next month.
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