NORTH Korea has said it is ready for a "total war" threatening the "final doom of the US" as Donald Trump continues to stage military drills with South Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to accelerate its nuclear weapons programme to “maximum pace” and test a nuclear device “at any time”, as tensions rise around the Korean peninsula.

6 Kim Jong-un said US-South Korean military drills were taking the peninsula “to the brink of nuclear war” Credit: AP:Associated Press

The North's official KCNA news agency said on Tuesday: "The reckless military provocation is pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of nuclear war.

"Any military provocation against the DPRK will precisely mean a total war which will lead to the final doom of the US."

It comes as the US military announced its controversial Thaad missile defence system is now operational in South Korea.

6 Kim Jong-Un has refused to stop his nuclear weapons testing programme Credit: Reuters

6 President Donald Trump has taken a hard-line with Kim Jong-un Credit: Getty Images

6 North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is apparently determined to become a nuclear warlord Credit: Getty Images

Thaad, which stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, was placed at a former golf course in the central county of Seongju amid protests.

Angry residents fear the system will make the area a target for attacks endangering lives.

On Monday, the US flew training drills with South Korea and Japanese air forces in another show of strength.

Two supersonic B-1B Lancer bombers were deployed amid rising tensions over North Korea's pursuit of its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations sanctions and pressure from the US.

The US air force said in a statement the bombers had flown from Guam to conduct training exercises with the South Korean and Japanese air forces.

South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said the joint drill was conducted to "deter provocations".

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Kim Jong-un's threat comes as President Trump said he was open and "honoured" to meet the North's young leader - despite mounting tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

He told Bloomberg News: "If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honoured to do it."

Trump did not say what conditions would be needed for such a meeting to occur or when it could happen.

The White House later said North Korea would need to meet many conditions before it could be contemplated.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high for weeks, driven by concerns that the North might conduct its sixth nuclear test in defiance of pressure from the United States and Pyongyang's sole major ally, China.

It was widely feared North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test on or around April 15 to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the North's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, or on April 25 to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People's Army.

The North has conducted such tests or missile launches to mark significant events in the past.

6 Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Credit: Reuters

6 Kim Jong-un unleashed a third missile test fire on Saturday Credit: AP:Associated Press

Instead, North Korea conducted an annual military parade, featuring a display of missiles, on April 15 and then a large, live-fire artillery drill 10 days later.

China said last week the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control.

In a show of force, the United States has already sent an aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to waters off the Korean peninsula to conduct drills with South Korea and Japan.

North Korea test-launched a missile on Saturday that appeared to have failed within minutes.

It was its fourth successive failed launch since March.

It has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile-related activities at an unprecedented pace since the beginning of last year.

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