N Korea warns of nuke strike

North Korean state media yesterday warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of US aggression as a US Navy strike group steamed towards the western Pacific.

US President Donald Trump, who has urged China to do more to rein in its impoverished neighbor, said in a Tweet North Korea was "looking for trouble" and the United States would "solve the problem" with or without China's help.

"North Korea is looking for trouble," Trump wrote on Twitter. "If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A."

Trump launched a missile strike on Syria late Thursday while meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The move was widely interpreted as a warning to North Korea as well as retaliation for the Damascus regime's suspected sarin attack against civilians in a rebel-held town in Syria.

The strike group -- which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson -- cancelled a planned trip to Australia this weekend, heading to the Korean peninsula instead in a show of force.

North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the country was prepared to respond to any aggression by the United States.

"Our revolutionary strong army is keenly watching every move by enemy elements with our nuclear sight focused on the US invasionary bases not only in South Korea and the Pacific operation theater but also in the US mainland," it said.

The North's foreign ministry, in a statement carried by KCNA, said the US navy strike group's approach showed America's "reckless moves for invading had reached a serious phase."

"The DPRK is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US," it added.

The Trump administration is reviewing its policy towards North Korea and has said all options are on the table, including military strikes, but US officials said non-military action appeared to be at the top of the list.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.

Satellite imagery analysis suggests it could be preparing for a sixth. Speculation over an imminent nuclear test is brewing as the North marks anniversaries including the 105th birthday of its late founder on Saturday -- sometimes celebrated with a demonstration of military might.

Officials from South Korea and China, North Korea's closest ally, threatened to impose "strong additional measures" if North Korea carries out more nuclear tests. China has already executed sanctions, including banning all North Korean coal imports for the last two months.

Russia's foreign ministry, in a statement ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said it was concerned about many aspects of US foreign policy, particularly on North Korea.

As reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap, the US, South Korea and Japan are meeting this month to plan a joint response to North Korea.