A top diplomat from North Korea called the latest tweet from US President Donald Trump a "declaration of war" and North Korea has the right to shoot down strategic bombers even not visible on their radar. It was the latest escalation in a week of word wars between the US and the North Korea during the UN General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting.
Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that the United Nations and the international community have said in recent days that they didn't want the "war of words" to turn into "real action." But he said that by tweeting that North Korea's leadership led by Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," Trump "declared the war on our country."
Under the UN Charter, North Korea has the right to take countermeasures, "including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers even when they're not yet inside the airspace border of our country."
Hours later, the White House pushed back on Ri's claim, saying: We have not declared war on North Korea." The Trump administration, referring to the tweet, stressed that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other Cabinet officials insisted that the U.S.-led campaign of diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea is focused on eliminating the pariah state's nuclear weapons program, not its totalitarian government.
But the more Trump meddles with the North, the harder it may become to maintain cooperation with China and Russia, which seek a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis and not a new U.S. ally suddenly popping up on their borders. It also risks snuffing out hopes of persuading Kim's government to enter negotiations when its survival isn't assured.
Source: Associated Press
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