President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Kim Jong-Un that he possessed a nuclear button that is "much bigger & more powerful" than that of the North Korean leader.
He tweeted: "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.' Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
Trump's message came after Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a "nuclear button" on his table, but sweetened his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Games next month.
South Korea responded positively Tuesday, proposing high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9.
But U.S. envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley dismissed the proposed dialogue between the Koreas as a "band-aid," warning that Washington would never accept a nuclear-armed Pyongyang.
The so-called nuclear "button" is a metaphor, as the president of the United States actually has the nuclear launch codes near him at all times in a secure briefcase nicknamed the "Nuclear Football."
CNN's Erin Burnett called the tweet "childish and silly," while Asia expert and author Gordon Chang told Burnett the tweet "legitimatizes Kim Jong Un" by bringing himself down to Kim's level.
"He's in a shouting match with the president of the United States," Chang said. "That looks good from his perspective. You know, this is not good diplomacy on the part of our president. There's a lot of things trump has been doing which are good. This is really bad."
Information from Reuters and AFP was used in this report.