Tensions on the Korean peninsula mounted this week as the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump has put North Korea "clearly on notice" that he will not tolerate certain actions and China urged a peaceful resolution of the tension.
But North Korea does not seem to be backing down, accusing the USA of attacking Syria last week.
Tension has risen since the US Navy fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield last week in response to a deadly gas attack, raising concerns about US President Donald Trump's plans for North Korea, which has conducted missile and nuclear tests in defiance of United Nations and unilateral sanctions.
Vice Minister Han Song Ryol made the comments in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press in Pyongyang on Friday. "We will go to war if they choose", he said.
Han told AP that Pyongyang won't "keep its arms crossed" in the face of a USA pre-emptive strike.
The annual U.S. -South Korea military exercises have consistently infuriated the North, which views them as rehearsals for an invasion.
Han did not dispel that notion.
"As long as dialogue takes place, it can be official or unofficial, through one channel or dual channels, bilateral or multilateral".
During his 40-minute interview with the AP, Han placed the blame for tensions on Trump. The North is technically at war with the United States and south Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.
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The action came a week after Trump authorized missile strikes against Syria for a chemical weapons attack on civilians. Mr Trump has said he will allow the military more freedom, so this may simply be the result. "We have Afghan and U.S.
Pence's trip to South Korea was a sign of the United States commitment to its ally in the face of rising tension, aides said.
"Once a war really happens, the result will be nothing but multiple-loss", Wang said.
"I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea". Pyongyang recently launched a long-range ballistic missile and claims it is close to perfecting an intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear warhead that could attack the USA mainland.
"Trump is always making provocations with his aggressive words".
South Korea's Foreign Ministry has criticized comments by North Korea's vice foreign minister, who told The Associated Press that the North is capable of conducting another nuclear test at anytime and ready to "go to war" if the USA provokes it. "Black Day" was trending on Twitter and was the leading news item on the Naver web portal in South Korea, which has one of the world's highest percentage of Internet users as a percentage of population.
The US-based 38 North monitoring group reported late on Wednesday that satellite images suggested Pyongyang is prepared to conduct its next nuclear test, describing the test site as "primed and ready".
Trump has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States. "No one can become a victor", Wang told reporters at a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. "No matter who it is, if it wants to make war or trouble on the Korean Peninsula, it must take the historical responsibility and pay the due price".
The ministry says South Korea is in close discussions with others including China, North Korea's only major ally, on ways to respond should the North take such actions. But in the meantime, a military parade is expected to take place over the weekend, where there has been some suggestion that the North might reveal a new type of missile during the proceedings.
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