NORTH Korea is ready to use its nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, leader Kim Jong Un warned in a speech reported by state media on Thursday, accusing them of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of war.

Addressing war veterans on Wednesday, the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, Mr Kim said: “Our armed forces are completely prepared to respond to any crisis and our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilise its absolute power dutifully, exactly and swiftly in accordance with its mission.”

He accused the United States of “demonising” North Korea to justify its hostile policies, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.