North Korea on Wednesday called a speech by US President Donald Trump at the South Korean Parliament an “open declaration of war”.
During his speech last week, Trump, who was here during his 5-nation Asian tour, had criticised the repressive North Korean regime and painted a bleak picture of life in the country, Efe news reported.
The Republican politician had also called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “short and fat” in his tweet.
“The reckless remarks spouted by Trump during his junkets cannot but be viewed as the final confirmation of the White House’s hostile policy towards the DPRK, a total denial of the existence of the DPRK and an open declaration of war,” said the country’s main newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
Trump had also slammed the human rights violations by the North Korean regime and said that the country is far from the “paradise Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung had envisioned it to be”.
Pyongyang’s response to this direct attack comes a day after the conclusion of Trump’s Asian tour, during which he also visited Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
“We’ve watched Trump’s ludicrous acts with patience to the last. He should know that he is just a hideous criminal sentenced to death by the Korean people,” the North Korean daily reported.
During his tour, Trump had urged the international community to unite and put pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear missile programme.
North Korea has not carried out any new tests since September 15, when it launched an intermediate-range missile that flew over Japan.