Washington - US President Donald Trump said on
Twitter on Saturday North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho
and leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer" if Ri
echoed the thoughts of "Little Rocket Man", an apparent
reference to Kim.
Ri told the United Nations General Assembly earlier on
Saturday that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was
inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Trump called Pyongyang's
leader "rocket man".
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If
he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around
much longer!" Trump tweeted.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and
personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of
developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the
United States - something Trump has vowed to prevent.
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim
described Trump as a "mentally deranged US dotard" whom he
would tame with fire. His comments came after Trump threatened
in his maiden UN address on Thursday to "totally destroy" the
country of 26 million people.
It was not clear from Trump's latest tweet if he was
referring to Ri and Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear
bomb test on September 3, prompting another round of UN sanctions.
Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the
Pacific Ocean.
"It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the
DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance
due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces,” Ri told the
UN General Assembly on Saturday.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew
in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on
Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the
range of military options available to Trump.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement.
"North Korea's weapons programme is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," White said.