THE White House has explosively warned at a “much darker era” for North Korea – hinting the US could be gearing up to fight Kim Jong-un once and for all.

The source close to Donald Trump, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, warned a failure to properly confront the nuclear threat posed by the hermit state will have dire consequences. It comes as the stand-off between the US President and Supreme Leader Kim shows no signs of ending. Trump has threatened to “totally destroy” the North following repeated threats and missile tests. Just weeks ago, Kim sanctioned the test of its biggest weapon to date – a hugely-powerful Hydrogen Bomb. North Korea has also warned it will rain nuclear missiles down on the US mainland, as well as attack allies such as Japan and South Korea.

GETTY WAR: The White House has given the clearest sign yet it is gearing up for the unthinkable

Inside Kim's SECRET army: North Korean military laid bare in smuggled-out picture The true face of Kim Jong un’s army REVEALED in shocking images smuggled out the country. 1 / 21 Pen News Two North Korean soldiers stand guard

“The threat posed by North Korea has grown to the unprecedented, critical and imminent level” Japan Defence Minister **US, Japan, S. Korea stage MISSILE DRILLS on Korean Peninsula** Today, a US official urged China to do more to help reach a peaceful end to the crisis, saying: “We would like to see China follow through on those commitments. “We would like to see China do things bilaterally as well that might even go beyond things that are mandated by those UN Security Council resolutions.” Last month, the UN placed a raft of new sanctions on North Korea designed to strangle the country’s economy. It is hoped the measures will eventually force Kim to abandon his nuclear programme.

Inside North Korea: The pictures Kim Jong-un doesn't want you to see Since 2008, 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 1 / 62 Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Medi Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

But tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to ratchet up. Hours ago, Japan’s Defence Minister, Itsunori Onodera, said the world is literally on the brink of war. Speaking alongside US officials at a meeting of Asian defence chiefs, he said: “[The] threat posed by North Korea has grown to the unprecedented, critical and imminent level. “Therefore, we have to take calibrated and different responses to meet with that level of threat.”

How North Korea sees America: GRUESOME art depicts Americans murdering Koreans The shocking paintings depicts the alleged crimes American soldiers carried out on Koreans during the Korean War 1 / 10 News Dog Media A gruesome propaganda painting produced by North Korea