North Korea has vowed to accelerate its nuclear weapons programme to “maximum pace” and test a nuclear device “at any time” in response to Donald Trump’s aggressive stance towards the regime.
The warning came as US military officials said a controversial missile defence system was now “operational” after being installed at a site in South Korea last week.
US Forces Korea said Thaad was “operational and has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend [South Korea]”.
But a US defence official told AFP the system had only “reached initial intercept capability” and more hardware would be added later this year to make it fully functional.
The US vessel is then expected to deliver fuel to the Carl Vinson and other American vessels in the region.
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On Monday a US state department spokeswoman said Washington was “open to credible talks on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. »