WASHINGTON: An escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un ratcheted up a notch on Friday (Sep 22) as the US president dubbed North Korea’s leader a „madman,“ a day after the reclusive regime hinted it may explode a hydrogen…
WASHINGTON: An escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un ratcheted up a notch on Friday (Sep 22) as the US president dubbed North Korea’s leader a „madman,“ a day after the reclusive regime hinted it may e xplode a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
Hours earlier, in a rare personal attack, Kim took aim at Trump, branding him „mentally deranged“ and warning he would „pay dearly“ for his threat to destroy North Korea if challenged, uttered before the United Nations General Assembly.
The verbal clash came a day after Washington announced tougher sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme, on the heels of a T rump speech in which he which he branded Kim „Rocket Man“ and declared him to be on a „suicide mission.“
Kim had delivered a tongue-lashing of his own – vowing to „surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire,“ in an address read out on state television by a star news anchor before a still image of Kim at his desk.
Trump „insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world and made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history“, Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
„I will make the man holding the prerogative of the supreme command in the US pay dearly for his speech.“
SANCTIONS
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang.
On the fringes of the General Assembly, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
