Trump credits himself with averting major war with North Korea

US President Donald Trump gave himself credit for averting a "major war" with North Korea as he touted his achievements during the annual State of the Union address on Wednesday.

Trump raised fears of war with North Korea in 2017 when he threatened to rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on the hermit nation because of the threat it posed to the US.

But during his prime-time address, Trump said he would hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month in Vietnam.

"If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said during the address that lasted for more than 80 minute.

lans for a second summit have been in the works since the two leaders' historic talks last year.

Trump and Kim's meeting last June in Singapore was the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

While Pyongyang has not conducted any atomic or ballistic missile tests since last summer, it has yet to agree to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

Since their Singapore summit, Trump and Kim have exchanged letters. Trump has repeatedly said in recent days that he has a "very good relationship" with the reclusive leader.

The two leaders famously exchanged explosive words in the past, with Trump calling Kim "little rocket man" and saying that continued threats against the US would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen".