The comments are the North’s first response to Trump’s debut speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.<\/b>
\nSEOUL, Korea, Republic Of \u2013 North Korea \u2018s foreign minister likened U. S. President Donald Trump to a \u201cbarking dog\u201d on Thursday, after Trump warned he would \u201cdestroy\u201d the North if it threatened the United States and its allies.
The comments are the North\u2019s first response to Trump\u2019s debut speech at the U. N. General Assembly on Tuesday, during which he vowed to \u201ctotally destroy North Korea\u201d if provoked. Trump also called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un \u201cRocket man.\u201d
The North\u2019s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York late Wednesday that \u201cIt would be a dog\u2019s dream if he intended to scare us with the sound of a dog barking.\u201d
South Korean TV footage also showed Ri saying he feels \u201csorry for his aides\u201d when he was asked about Trump\u2019s \u201cRocket man\u201d comments. Ri was to give a speech at the U. N. General Assembly on Friday, according to Yonhap news agency.
WATCH: Donald Trump calls Kim Jong Un \u2018Rocket Man\u2019 during UN speech
Trump has unleashed many strong statements on North Korea including his August warning the North will be met with \u201cfire and fury.\u201d The North has responded by a slew of weapons tests and warlike and often-mocking rhetoric against Trump. A top North Korean general called Trump\u2019s \u201cfire and fury\u201d threats \u201ca load of nonsense\u201d let out by \u201ca guy bereft of reason.\u201d
Donald Trump\u2019s UN speech highlights: \u2018Rocket Man,\u2019 North Korea and some countries \u2018going to hell\u2019
The rhetorical battle came as outside experts say North Korea is getting closer to achieve its long-stated goal of building nuclear-armed missiles capable hitting anywhere in the U. S. mainland.
Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date and it was subsequently slapped with fresh, tough U. N. sanctions. North Korea later fired a ballistic missile over Japan and the U. S. military flew powerful bombers and stealth fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in a show of force against the North.<\/p>\n