The U.S. and North Korea have once again traded aggressive barbs,... accusing each other of ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The two sides exchanged verbal blows in Geneva,... with the U.S. representative saying the regime might be able to hit the mainland United States with a nuclear-tipped missile within months.
Lee Seung-jae reports.

"North Korea is only months away from obtaining the capability to hit U.S. territory with a nuclear weapon".
This isn't the first time a U.S. official has warned of North Korea's nuclear capabilities,... but the North responded this time by blaming Washington for escalating tensions, adding the U.S. is considering a pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang.
All this,... happening in Geneva Tuesday at a UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament.
Robert Wood, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament,... who was especially vocal at the conference,... called North Korea's peaceful actions before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, nothing more than an act, stressing that the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains as volatile as ever.

"The situation has on the Korean Peninsula has not changed. The regime continues to work on its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. What I would call 'charm offensive' franking is fooling no one."

Ju Yong-chol, the North Korean diplomat at the conference, didn't shy away from accusing the U.S. of using the North's missile and nuclear programs as an excuse for a possible pre-emptive strike on the regime.

" U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary and the CIA Director repeatedly talked about the DPRK nuclear and missile threat to justify their argument for military option and a new concept of so-called 'bloody nose' limited pre-emptive strike on the DPRK is under consideration within the U.S. administration. "

Elsewhere,... with the U.S. recently issuing its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, China's Foreign Ministry stated that Washington is hanging on to its Cold War mentality,... and that policy deviates from peace and development.
Referring to the fact that the U.S. has the world's biggest and most advanced nuclear arsenal,... Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang added,... the U.S. move to increase its nuclear power would lead to a global strategic imbalance.
During a Congressional hearing on Tuesday,... U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis voiced his concerns over the North's nuclear program,... stating that its nuclear program is a threat to global security.
Mattis added that, along with North Korea,... Russia and China have been advancing their nuclear programs,... while the U.S.' has remained the same.
With the Winter Games in South Korea just a couple of days away,... many wonder if the latest verbal tit-for-tat between the U.S. and North Korea will negatively impact the South's goal of holding a 'Peace Olympics'.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.