‘One thing will work’ in Korea

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump says diplomatic efforts with North Korea have consistently failed, adding that “only one thing will work”.

Mr Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, trading insults amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid,” Mr Trump has tweeted.

It “hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, making fools of US negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!”, he said.

Mr Trump has threatened to “totally destroy” the country.

He told journalists at a recent gathering with military leaders to discuss Iran, North Korea and the Islamic State group that this “could be the calm before the storm”, declining to better clarify his remarks.

His latest comments came hours after North Korea prepared to test a long-range missile which experts feared could reach the west coast of the United States.

Russian politician Anton Morozov said: “They are preparing for new tests of a long-range missile.

“They even gave us mathematical calculations that they believe prove that their missile can hit the west coast of the United States.

“As far as we understand, they intend to launch one more long-range missile in the near future.

“And in general, their mood is rather belligerent.”

Last week, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flew home from meeting top Chinese officials, Mr Trump tweeted that his envoy was “wasting his time” in trying to probe North Korea’s willingness to talk.

Officials in North Korea also accused the US of using its “war on terror” as a means to overthrow hostile governments.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency made the allegations in an article published Friday, claiming the US is “the main culprit behind terrorism”.