"The entire US is within our firing range and the nuclear missile button is always on my desk," - Kim Jong Un

In his 2018 New Year address, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned the United States that the nuclear button is always on his desk but he says he won't use nuclear weapons if there's no aggression against his country.

"The entire mainland of the US is within the range of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button is always on the desk of my office. They should accurately be aware that this is not a threat but a reality," said Kim during his annual New Year's Day address.


He also declared that his country is "a responsible nuclear nation that loves peace" and said that as long as there's no aggression directed at it, "we do not intend to use nuclear powers."

Kim called on his country to accelerate production of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.
"As for the areas of nuclear weapons research and rocket engineering, we need to accelerate the mass production of nuclear warheads, whose power and reliability have already been secured, and ballistic missiles," Kim said, adding that the country also needed to be ready "to retaliate against the enemy's move for a nuclear war."