Trump, Kim poised to hit their nuke buttons

THE spectre of nuclear conflict between the United States and North Korea yesterday escalated dramatically, as Donald Trump threatened the increasingly aggressive rogue state with “fire and fury like the world has never seen”.

In a day when it was revealed US intelligence shows Pyongyang’s nuclear capability is more advanced than previously believed, the US President issued his strongest message to Kim Jong-un.

“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Mr Trump said.

“He has been very threatening beyond a normal state. They will be met with fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before.”

Hours later, North Korea warned of a pre-emptive strike against the US Pacific Ocean territory and military outpost of Guam, saying it was planning to launch Hwasong-12 rockets at Andersen Air Force Base, which holds US strategic assets including bombers.

North Korean state media said the US bombers “get on the nerves of the DPRK (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and threaten and blackmail it through their frequent visits to the sky above South Korea”.

The hermit kingdom said it was “carefully examining” striking Guam and making it “the first to experience the might of the strategic weapons of the DPRK”.

While state media routinely issues hyperbolic missives against the US and its allies, including Australia, yesterday’s warning was its most specific to date.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday declared armed conflict between the two nations would be “catastrophic”.

Tension has been building in recent months as North Korea stepped up its weapons testing. But it was the release yesterday of new analysis by the US Defence Intelligence Agency that North Korea had miniaturised nuclear weapons that drew Mr Trump’s reaction.