North Korea says 'terrorist' CIA tried to assassinate Kim Jong-un with chemical weapon

'Heinous terrorists' tried to topple the Supreme Leader, state-run news agency claims

North Korea has previously claimed the US and South Korea have hatched a plot to topple their Supreme Leader (AP)

North Korea has claimed the US tried to assassinate its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, earlier this year.

The state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed the CIA attempted to use a chemical or biological poison to take out the dictator.

The alleged attempt shows the US is the “main culprit behind terrorism”, it said.

The news agency, which is seen as the propaganda wing of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party, said: “In May this year, a group of heinous terrorists who infiltrated our country on the orders of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US and the South Korean puppet Intelligence Service with the purpose of carrying out state-sponsored terrorism against our supreme headquarters using biological and chemical substance were caught and exposed.

“This palpably shows the true nature of the US as the main culprit behind terrorism.”

KCNA also claimed the US “changes its colours” like a “chameleon” in order to justify overthrowing governments in other countries.

It accused Washington of using the war against terrorism to justify its interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

North Korea’s on-going missile tests have deepened tensions with the US and led Donald Trump to threaten to “totally destroy” the communist state.

The North Korean government claimed in May that it had foiled a US and South Korean plot to kill its Supreme Leader. A man named only as “Kim” was paid to carry out an attack with biological substances, the country’s Ministry of State Security claimed. The CIA refused to comment on the reports.

North Korea has a history of making contentious statements that cannot be verified. It has previously claimed the US and South Korea have hatched a plot, named “Plan Jupiter”, to kill Kim Jong-un.