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Kim Jong-un’s totalitarian regime has handed a heavy blow to Trump by vowing to hold on to its nuclear weapons. The hermit kingdom has said it will only denuclearise once the US removes its
nuclear threat. Last year tensions between the two action states spiralled out of control, with both Trump and Kim Jong-un threatening to attack. Then, earlier this year the two nations held
a historic peace summit where North Korea agreed to denuclearise. There was much criticism of Trump’s handling of the Asian nation’s threats to attack the US. However, the summit was seen
as major win for the US President and won him plaudits from across the globe. Kim’s apparent backtrack on the agreement risks both countries once again being put on a war footing and another
escalating war of words. At the climax of the 2017 tensions, Trump referred to his counterpart as a “rocket man on a suicide mission”. The North Korean dictator meanwhile referred to the US
President as an “old lunatic”. There were fears of a nuclear fallout following the rising tensions, with North Korea claiming it had weapons which could reach US territories. In December
last year US officials set off 385 sirens dotted around Hawaii in a practice drill for an incoming nuclear bomb. When they sound, the island has around 20 minutes to brace for impact. This
latest development is not the first time North Korea has broken the terms of its agreement with the US. Kim also promised Trump to stop increasing his stock of nuclear weapons. However,
multiple images have emerged since then suggesting the nuclear programme is still active but taking place in secret. The US is yet to respond to the hermit kingdom’s announcement that it
will not denuclearise.