North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un delivered a televised threat on the New Year's Eve to the United States stating that he has a nuclear button on his desk.
As the entire United States mainland is within the firing range of North Korea, he repeatedly said the US will never be able to start a war. "The United States can never fight a war against me and our state. It should properly know that the whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike and a nuclear button is always on the desk of my office and this is just a reality, not a threat," he said.
Surprisingly, Kim offered an olive branch to South Korea this time saying he is open to talks with Seoul.
Kim Jong-un seeking peace?
The year 2017 witnessed a drastic rise of tensions in the Korean peninsula and many political experts believed that the nuclear tests conducted by Kim Jong-un may result in the beginning of World War 3. But now, the North Korean leader has hinted the possibility of an open talk with Seoul, and it clearly indicates that Kim is eyeing peace in 2018.
During the speech, Kim Jong-un said that the year 2018 is a significant year for both the North and the South, as Pyongyang is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its birth and the South is hosting the winter Olympics 2018.
"In order to host the great events of the nation with splendor and demonstrate the dignity and stamina of the nation, we should melt the frozen north-south relations, thus adorning this meaningful year as a year to be specially recorded in the history of the nation," he stressed.
"When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment. Both the North and the South should make efforts," said Kim Jong-un, Reuters reports.
Kim added that his country's participation in the Winter Olympic Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride of North Korea.
Not a threat but a reality
While talking about the relationship with the United States, Kim Jong-un said that North Korea is capable of striking any area in the US with precision using their Inter-continental ballistic missiles.
"The whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike and a nuclear button is always on the desk of my office and this is just a reality, not a threat," said Kim Jong-un. He also added that the country will not use nuclear weapons until they get threatened by the US.
As of now, the United States has not responded to Kim Jong-un's New Year Eve speech.
