North Korea vows more ‘gift packages’ for the US in nuclear row

The pledge from North Korea’s envoy to the United Nations in Geneva, Han Tae Song, was delivered at the Conference on Disarmament as world powers weighed options to temper North Korea’s nuclear threat.

“The recent self-defence measures by my country DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) are a gift package addressed to none other than the US,” Han told the UN body.

“The US will receive more gift packages from my country as long as it relies on reckless provocations and futile attempts to put pressure on the DPRK.”

Washington has called for the “strongest possible measures” against North Korea for detonating what Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on a missile.

The announcement dramatically upped the stakes in North Korea’s standoff with the international community over its banned weapons programmes, which have seen it subjected to seven sets of UN Security Council sanctions so far.

Han told the UN conference that he was “proud” to confirm that his nation had “successfully carried out the hydrogen bomb test.”

“Pressure or sanctions will never work on my country,” he added.

“DPRK will never under any circumstance put its nuclear deterrence on the negotiating table, nor will we step back even an inch from the road of pursuing its nuclear force, unless the hostile policy and the nuclear threat of the US against my country are completely eradicated.”