Anchor: North Korea has again spoken about its intention to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM), as a growing number of U.S. officials under the new Donald Trump administration are raising concerns over North Korea’s nuclear threat. Against this backdrop, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis will visit South Korea early next month.
Mina Cha has more.

Report: A senior official at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated the regime’s threat to test-fire an ICBM.

Choe Kang-il, deputy director general of North American affairs at the ministry said in an interview with NBC of the United States in Pyongyang that the North is ready to test-fire an ICBM “at any time, at any place," echoing similar remarks made by the ministry earlier this month.

Choe claimed the North will continue increasing its nuclear deterrent forces and preemptive strike forces as long as Seoul and Washington conduct their joint military exercises, which the regime regards as a provocation.

His statements mark the first provocative remarks by a Pyongyang official toward Washington since Donald Trump was sworn in as the U.S. president last Friday.

With the launch of the Trump administration, a growing number of people within the U.S. government are expressing concerns over the North’s nuclear threat.

New U.S. Pacific Army commander Lt. Gen. Robert Brown likened the North to a black swan, stressing the authoritarian regime is the biggest threat facing the U.S.

A black swan refers to an incident, which despite a small chance of happening, can make a huge impact if it occurs.
 
[Sound bite: Robert Brown, New U.S. Pacific Army Commander]
"The thing that keeps me up at night,
though, the thing I worry the most
about is North Korea."
 
Amid such concerns over the North, South Korea said U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will visit South Korea next Thursday for his first overseas trip since taking office under the new administration.

Mattis' visit to Seoul, which will be followed by a trip to Japan, appears to suggest that the U.S. government has a strong will to cope with North Korea’s threats of provocation.
Mina Cha, KBS World Radio News.

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