North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday that President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations last week constituted a declaration of war against North Korea.
Speaking through a translator to reporters in New York City, Ri said he "wished" conflict between the United States and North Korea would not go any further than a war of words. Trump said in his first speech to the U.N. last week that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should not escalate the conflict and risk forcing an attack that would "totally destroy North Korea."
"Over the last few days, the United Nations has sincerely wished that the war of words between the DPRK and the United States does not turn into the real actions," Ri said.
"Last week, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer, and hence, at last, he declared war on our country," Ri added.
Ri further argued that Trump’s firm denunciation of North Korean weapons development is misguided, and an action that encourages Pyongyang to retaliate. In his view, North Korean acquisition of nuclear weapons is within its rights to national defense.
"Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of the United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war," Ri said. "The U.N. charter stipulates individual member states’ rights to self-defense."
The foreign minister then issued his own threats, saying that the North Korean military would shoot down planes flying near their borders, apparently a reference to recent U.S. and South Korean action.
"Since the United States 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're not yet inside the air-space border of our country," Ri said.
He finished with a veiled threat directed to the United States, echoing the many previous signals from the Kim regime to attack U.S. territories, or even, the mainland.
"The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then," Ri said.