North Korea promises stronger measures than nuclear test

North Korea stepped up its belligerent rhetoric on Tuesday, threatening to go beyond carrying out a promised third nuclear test in response to what it calls hostile sanctions imposed after a December rocket launch, Reuters reports on Tuesday.

The country did not spell out the actions it would take. North Korea is not capable of staging a military strike on the United States, although South Korea is in range of its artillery and missiles and it can hit Japan with its missiles.

"The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has drawn a final conclusion that it will have to take a measure stronger than a nuclear test to cope with the hostile forces nuclear war moves that have become ever more undisguised," the country's KCNA state news agency said.