A top North Korean diplomat warned Monday that the U.S. has declared war on the rogue regime, giving its leaders the right to take military action against U.S. provocations.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, who has made headlines several times over the past week, made a surprising threat during a rare address at his hotel in New York.
“Last week, Trump declared war on our country, this is clearly a declaration of war,” the foreign minister said.
“Since the U.S. declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States’ strategic bombers, even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country,” the foreign minister added.
The U.S. sent B-1B Lancers, heavy conventional bombers, and F-15 fighter jets tearing past North Korea Saturday, making an unprecedented move north of the demilitarized zone.
“The question of who won’t be around much longer will be answered then,” he said, referencing Trump’s weekend tweet. He added that all options are on the table.
Ri warned Thursday that North Korea may choose to detonate a hydrogen bomb like the staged thermonuclear weapon it tested earlier this month in the Pacific. Then the foreign minister delivered an angry speech Saturday, criticizing President Donald Trump for his remarks on the total destruction of North Korea at the United Nations General Assembly.
“Trump may not know what came out of his mouth,” the North Korean diplomat said, “but we will make sure that we make him take responsibility for what he said.” He added that a “merciless” North Korean strike on the U.S. mainland is now “inevitable” as a result Trump’s recklessness.
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