North Korea issues hydrogen bomb threat
North Korea could test a powerful nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean in response to US President Donald Trump's threats of military action, the country's foreign minister has warned.
Ri
Yong Ho spoke to reporters in New York shortly after North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un made an unprecedented televised statement, accusing
Trump of being "mentally deranged."
The
forceful rhetoric from Pyongyang came after Trump threatened to"totally
destroy" North Korea in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Trump tweeted Friday that Kim was "obviously a madman" who would be
"tested like never before."
In a
rare direct statement delivered straight to camera, Kim said that Trump
would "pay dearly" for the threats, and that North Korea "will consider
with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of
hard-line countermeasure in history."
"I
am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he
allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," Kim said. "I will
surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire."
Kim said Trump's comments were reflective of "mentally deranged behavior."
Hours
later, Kim's foreign minister told reporters in New York that Pyongyang
could launch a nuclear missile test in response. "This could probably
mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. Regarding
which measures to take, I don't really know since it is what Kim Jong Un
does," said Ri.
Japan's defense minister Itsunori
Onodera said the country must ready itself for the sudden escalation in
tensions and be prepared for a missile launch.
"We cannot deny the possibility it may fly over our country," Onodera said Thursday. Japan has been subject to two North Korean missile test flyovers in recent weeks.
In response, Trump said on Twitter: "Kim
Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind
killing or starving his people, will be tested like never before!"
First-person first?
The
phrase "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history" could be
considered an escalation in the choice of language used, said Vipin
Narang, a professor of political science at MIT and expert on deterrence
and nuclear policy.
"This is clearly trying to coerce the US into playing ball," Narang told CNN.
In
his first address to the United Nations as US President, Trump said
that the US was ready to "totally destroy" North Korea if it was forced
to defend its allies, a warning seen as unprecedented for a US president delivering an address to the world's leaders and top diplomats.
Responding to the speech, Kim said
Trump's comments amounted to an insult. "I'd like to advise Trump to
exercise prudence in selecting words and to be considerate of whom he
speaks to when making a speech in front of the world," Kim said.
A
handful of North Korea analysts believe Kim's response -- the first
time he has ever released a first-person statement -- could show how
personally the young leader took Trump's speech.
"This
is unprecedented, as far as we can tell," Narang said. "It's written by
him, it's signed by him ... He was clearly offended by the speech, and
what concerns me most is the response he says he is considering."
"The message is chilling," Narang said.
Asked to respond to Kim's statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN on Thursday night, "Not at this time."
North
Korea was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly Friday night,
but dropped off of its planned roster spot. The country could still get a
slot at another time.
More sanctions
The
White House, meanwhile, took the another step in its so-called
"peaceful pressure" campaign to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear program, expanding sanctions on North Korea and those who do business with the country.
Though
the majority of North Korea's imports come from China, Treasury
Secretary Steve Mnuchin said "This action is directed at everyone" and
the steps are "in no way specifically directed at China."
The executive order Trump inked just ahead of the lunch enhances
Treasury Department authorities to target individuals who provide goods,
services or technology to North Korea, Trump said. He said the order
would also allow the US to identify new industries -- including
textiles, fishing and manufacturing -- as potential targets for future
actions.
Source: CNN
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