NORTH Korean and Chinese officials have warned a new arms race looms in the Far East given the US decision to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to Korean waters.

Last week Washington announced the formation of a “nuclear consultative group” with Seoul, provoking anger in Pyongyang and Beijing.

Kim Yo Jong, deputy director of the ruling Workers Party comms department and sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the decision confirmed the United States as the country’s “most hostile adversary” and that Pyongyang could not afford to treat President Joe Biden’s nuclear threats as “irresponsible remarks from a person in his dotage.