North Korea Says It’s Ready To Nuke U.S. If It Makes ‘Wrong Decision’

North Korea’s Communist ruler, Kim Jong-un, declared the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to demonstrate the country’s preparedness and response to a wrong decision by Washington. Kim’s statement was broadcast across state media on Wednesday via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the propaganda outlet for the North Korean regime.

According to KCNA, an ICBM test was performed on Monday with the launch of a “Hwasong-18” missile, North Korea’s latest publicly known model. Pyongyang asserts that the Hwasong-18 could accurately reach any target within the continental US with a nuclear payload. This recent missile test is yet another controversial move by the country, defying sanctions imposed by the United Nations on them.

Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi allegedly greeted North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho, who was visiting the country. Yi expressed the Chinese Communist Party’s continued backing for their neighboring rogue regime.

China and North Korea have a strategic friendship and cooperation with sustained and steady growth, said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, adding that they would like to enhance communication, coordination, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various areas. On the surface, it is unclear whether China’s support for North Korea extends to the country’s military escapades.

Defense cooperation between South Korea, America and Japan, aimed at tracking North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program, was named as the reason KCNA attributed for the ICBM launch. Although active hostilities ceased in 1953, North and South Korea are technically in a state of war since 1950. The United States and China have also been involved in the Korean War as respective allies to the two sides.

KCNA claimed that “the present situation clearly shows the inveterate confrontation stand of the U.S.” and its allies, claiming that the region’s security environment is about to get worse. As a response to the “black augury of total destruction,” Kim ordered the missile launch, cementing the fact that North Korea is ready and willing to use its nuclear powers against the United States in case of a wrong decision from Washington.