North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday declared an end to the moratorium placed on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and vowed his country will soon unveil a "new strategic weapon."
The United States was swift to respond, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Kim to "take a different course" and stressing that the US wanted "peace not confrontation" with the North, while Trump played down the development.
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Analysts said the announcement, reported by Pyongyang's state media, amounted to Kim putting a missile "to Donald Trump's head," but warned that escalation by Pyongyang would probably backfire.
North Korea has previously tested missiles capable of reaching the US mainland. The defiant Kim has carried out six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017. The last test, held on Sept. 3, 2017, was 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates.
North Korea's self-imposed ban on such tests has been a centerpiece of the nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington over the past two years, which has seen three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he believes Kim will stick to his commitments on denuclearization, even as the strongman threatened a "new strategic weapon."
"We did sign a contract, talking about denuclearization. That was the number one sentence, 'denuclearization,' that was done in Singapore. I think he's a man of his word," a tuxedo-wearing Trump told reporters before heading into New Year festivities at his holiday retreat in Florida.
