North Korea will “never” be a nuclear capable country, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley said in a stern warning to Kim Jong-un’s regime.
Kim Jong-un sparked further World War 3 fears after he threatened the United States with a nuclear attack in his New Year’s Eve address in Pyongyang.
Speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, Nikki Haley said: “The crisis in North Korea will continue to have our attention in 2018, we finish December with our third strong sanctions resolution of last year.
“That was a great achievement but there is more to do to ensure full implementation of the Security Council resolution as we hear reports that North Korea might be preparing for another missile test.
“I hope that does not happen. But if it does, we must bring even more measures to bear on the North Korean regime.”
Ms Haley urged the world to be “united” against Kim Jong-un’s secretive state and said the US would “never” accept a nuclear North Korea.
She said: “The civilised world must remain united and vigilant against the rogue state’s development of a nuclear arsenal. We will never accept a nuclear North Korea.”
In his New Year’s speech, Kim Jong-un announced that he is willing to come to the negotiating table with South Korea to talk about security during the winter Olympics. He also called for peace in the Korean peninsula despite the military rhetoric in his speech.
The comments followed a threat to Donald Trump when the North Korean president said he has “a nuclear button” always on his desk and he is ready to use it against the US should it be necessary.
When asked about the offered talks, Haley said the “reckless regime” needs to stop making nuclear weapons.
Ms Haley said: “We won’t take any of the talks seriously if they don’t do something to ban all nuclear weapons in North Korea. We consider this to be a very reckless regime, we don’t think we need a band-aid and we don’t think we need to smile and take a picture.
“We think that we need to have them stop nuclear weapons and they need to stop it now.”
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it is up to South Korea whether to hold talks with North Korea but Washington is sceptical of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sincerity if such talks happen.
State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, told reporters: ”If the two countries decide that they want to have talks, that would be certainly their choice.
“Kim Jong-un may be trying to drive a wedge of some sort between the two nations, between our nation and the Republic of Korea. I can assure you that that will not happen … We are very sceptical of Kim Jong-un’s sincerity in sitting down and having talks.”