North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to take the “highest-level” of action against “mentally deranged” US President Donald Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes, a state-media report said on Friday.

In a rare direct statement, Kim said he “will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report said

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“I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue.

“I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard (senile old person) with fire,” CNN quoted Kim as saying.

The North Korean also said that Trump comments were reflective of “mentally deranged behaviour”.

In his first address to the UN, Trump on Tuesday said that the US was ready to “totally destroy” North Korea if it was forced to defend its allies, a warning seen as unprecedented for a US president delivering an address to the world’s leaders and top diplomats.

Responding to the speech, Kim said Trump’s comments amounted to an insult, reports CNN.

“I’d like to advise Trump to exercise prudence in selecting words and to be considerate of whom he speaks to when making a speech in front of the world.”

North Korea was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on Friday night, but dropped off of its planned roster spot. The country could still get a slot at another time.

On Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the media that Pyongyang could test a powerful nuclear weapon in the Pacific Ocean in response to Trump’s threats.

“This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean. Regarding which measures to take, I don’t really know since it is what Kim Jong-un does,” said Ri.

Meanwhile, the White House on Thursday night took the another step in its so-called “peaceful pressure” campaign to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, expanding sanctions on North Korea and those who do business with the country.