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North Korea is engaged in a war of words with America as Kim Jong-un's regime threatens to conduct a sixth nuclear weapons test. Donald Trump has warned military action remains possible after the US moved an anti-missile system, submarines and aircraft carriers into the region. After the people of South Korea went to the polls today, here are the latest updates on the tensions between its northern neighbour and the US. TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR LIVE UPDATES ON NORTH KOREA - CLICK HERE

Wednesday May 10 3.00am BST: China’s military has tested a range of new missiles and weapons close to North Korea in a bid to “enhance” their “combat skills” amid heightened nuclear tensions. The military drills were carried out in the north-eastern Bahai Sea and were labelled “successful” by Chinese officials. According to reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping modernisation of the country's military.

North Korea v USA explosive latest pictures Wed, September 20, 2017 Images depict how tensions have escalated between North Korea and the United States. Kim Jong-Un boasted of North Korea's ability to strike any target in the US after a second ICBM test that weapons experts said could even bring New York into range - in a potent challenge to President Donald Trump Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 45 North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Hwasong-14 being lauched at an undisclosed place in North Korea

Tuesday May 9 8.40pm BST: North Korea's ambassador to the UK has vowed Kim Jong-un will launch a sixth nuclear missile strike. He said: "In regards to the sixth nuclear test, I do not know the scheduled time for it, as I am here in the UK, not in my home country. "However, I can say that the nuclear test will be conducted at the place and time as decided by our supreme leader, Kim Jong-un.” America has warned of big consequences if North Korea tested another nuke. 7.20pm BST: Moon Jae-in has declared his victory in the South Korean elections as his rivals conceded defeat. “I will be a president for all the people,” Mr. Moon said in a nationally televised speech. Mr Moon’s victory spells the return of the liberals into power in a move that could create friction over the US’ stance on North Korea. 3pm BST: Moon Jae-in is poised to become South Korea’s first liberal president in nine years, according to the exit polls in South Korea's presidential election. He is set to win 41.4 per cent of the vote, defeating conservative challenger Hong Joon-pyo at 23.3 per cent, according to the exit polls by network television stations. 2.30pm BST: Dr Liam McCarthy-Cotter, a specialist in East Asian politics at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Moon Jae-in has signalled that he is looking to adopt a less antagonistic and more open and diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. “This opens the scope for both engagement and de-escalation, giving the North Koreans a clear opportunity to transition to a less overtly hostile state of play. “The concern is that such a shift from Seoul would not be received quite as favourably by the entire international community, in particular the United States who have their own approach to the tensions with North Korea, and in East Asia more generally.” 8am BST: The people of South Korea are going to the polls today. Liberal human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in is the favourite to win the election. SOUTH KOREA ELECTION RESULTS "I think what the United States wants is strong pressure on North Korea with cooperation from China to bring North Korea to the negotiation table to get them to scrap their nuclear programme," Mr Moon said on a Youtube live stream today. "What's important in this process is that South Korea should lead that new flow of events - we should not be a sightseer just watching talks between the United States and China." 9am BST: If Moon Jae-in is elected as South Korean President, it is thought that he could take a softer line on North Korea because he believes the nation must recognise Kim Jong-un.

AFP Getty South Korea's Moon Jae-in has said he would push for reform and national unity

"We can’t deny that the ruler of the North Korean people is Kim Jong Un,” he said in March. “We have no choice but to recognize Kim Jong Un as a counterpart, whether we put pressure and impose sanctions on North Korea or hold dialogue.” 2am BST: North Korea has threatened to speed up its production of nuclear weapons after claiming the Trump administration’s plans for military action were a bluff. State-controlled media has claimed Pyongyang will ramp up production of its nuclear weaponry, blasting Donald Trump’s war rhetoric as “unsubstantial and nonsensical”. The propaganda claims: “April has gone and now its May. So, the big show of the US spreading the story of a war in April ended with failure. “The Trump administration revealed itself before the world how unsubstantial and nonsensical its DPRK policy was. “If the Trump administration noisily vociferates about the story of a war in May to avoid disgrace, nobody would believe it."

Inside North Korea: The pictures Kim Jong-un doesn't want you to see Thu, March 8, 2018 Photographer Eric Lafforgue ventured to North Korea six times. Thanks to digital memory cards, he was able to save photos that was forbidden to take inside the segregated state Play slideshow Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Medi 1 of 69 Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

Reuters Moon Jae-in at a campaign rally in Seoul on May 8

Monday May 8 9.45pm BST: Speaking about the latest detention of a US citizen, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters: “Obviously, this is concerning. “We're well aware of it and we're going to work through the Embassy of Sweden, through our State Department, to seek the release of the individuals there.” The US and the UK do not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, so negotiations are done through the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang. 7.45pm BST: Ex-North Korean detainee Jeffrey Fowle has opened up abut his experiences in a North Korean prison. The 58-year-old father-of-three visited North Korea in May 2014 where he was arrested for leaving a Bible under a bin. North Korea is ranked number one on Open Doors’ list of countries persecuting Christians – tens of thousands of Christians are allegedly held in labour camps. “I advise anyone planning personal travel to North Korea to seriously reconsider their plans,” M Fowle told Fox News. During his time in prison he was coached into writing a confession of guilt, which he was then forced to re-write over and over again. After being imprisoned for nearly six months, Mr Fowle was finally released back to his family in October 2014.

Noon BST: Visitors to North Korea are seeing more and more locally made products replace the mostly Chinese imports in shops and supermarkets, according to a new report from Reuters. Shop assistant Rhee Kyong-sook, 33, said: "As new factories open, the branding, packaging and ingredients of our food products have improved.” Andray Abrahamian, of Singapore-based Choson Exchange, that trains North Koreans in business skills, said: "Around 2013, Kim Jong Un started talking about the need for import substitution.” 6.30am BST: President Donald Trump is using the pretext of the North Korea threat as a way to contain China, author James Petras has claimed. Mr Petras said: “Washington’s strategy is designed to contain and influence China if possible, and in extreme basis for launching a nuclear attack on China. “I think the pretext of attacking North Korea is simply an excuse to build up US military capabilities for a nuclear attack.”

Sunday May 7 3pm BST: North Korea has detained another American citizen on suspicion of acts against the state, which if confirmed would make him the fourth U.S. citizen to be held by the isolated country amid diplomatic tensions. Kim Hak Song, who was detained on Saturday, worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, the North's KCNA news agency, said. "A relevant institution of the DPRK detained American citizen Kim Hak Song on May 6 under a law of the DPRK on suspension of his hostile acts against it," KCNA said. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, NorthKorea's official name. 1am BST: Kim Jong-un has continued his sabre-rattling with an astonishing outburst against USA. In an editorial published by state-run media agency KNCA, North Korea attacked President Donald Trump's decision to send naval forces to the Japan Sea.

Getty Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump are putting on shows of military force