This combo of file photos shows an image (L) taken on April 15, 2017 of
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on a balcony of the Grand People鈥檚 Study House following a military parade in Pyongyang; and an image (R) taken on July 19, 2017 of US President Donald Trump speaking during the first meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in Washington, DC.
An escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un ratcheted up a notch on September 22, 2017 as the US president dubbed North Korea鈥檚 leader a 鈥渕adman,鈥� a day after the reclusive regime hinted it may explode a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. Hours earlier, in a rare personal attack, Kim took aim at Trump, branding him 鈥渕entally deranged鈥� and warning he would 鈥減ay dearly鈥� for his threat to destroy North Korea if challenged, uttered before the United Nations General Assembly.
AFP FILE
WASHINGTON鈥擜n escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un ratcheted up a notch on Friday as the US president dubbed North Korea鈥檚 leader a 鈥渕adman,鈥� a day after the reclusive regime hinted it may explode a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
Hours earlier, in a rare personal attack, Kim took aim at Trump, branding him 鈥渕entally deranged鈥� and a 鈥渄otard鈥�, and warning he would 鈥減ay dearly鈥� for his threat to destroy North Korea if challenged, uttered before the United Nations General Assembly.
READ: Kim Jong Un: 鈥楧eranged鈥� Trump will 鈥榩ay dearly鈥� for threat
The verbal clash came a day after Washington announced tougher sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea鈥檚 nuclear and ballistic missile program, on the heels of a Trump speech in which he which he nicknamed Kim 鈥淩ocket Man鈥� and declared him to be on a 鈥渟uicide mission.鈥�
READ: In stark UN speech, Trump threatens to 鈥榯otally destroy鈥� North Korea
鈥淜im Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn鈥檛 mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!鈥� Trump posted early Friday in the first of a barrage of unrelated tweets.
Kim had delivered a tongue-lashing of his own 鈥� vowing to 鈥渟urely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire,鈥� in an address read out on state television by a star news anchor before a still image of Kim at his desk.
Trump 鈥渋nsulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world and made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history鈥�, Kim said, according to the official Korean Central 黑料社 Agency.
鈥淚 will make the man holding the prerogative of the supreme command in the US pay dearly for his speech.鈥�
Sanctions
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang, and Moscow鈥檚 Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov complained that that scrap resembled a 鈥渒indergarten fight between children.鈥�
鈥淲e have to calm down the hot heads and understand that we do need pauses, that we do need some contacts,鈥� Lavrov told a news conference after his address to the General Assembly.
On the fringes of the world meeting, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
鈥淚 think that it could be an H-bomb test at an unprecedented level perhaps over the Pacific,鈥� he said 鈥� while adding: 鈥淚t is up to our leader so I do not know well.鈥�
Washington on Thursday authorized a tough new raft of sanctions in the latest effort to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its banned weapons programs, following its sixth nuclear test 鈥� the largest yet 鈥� and the firing of two missiles over Japan in recent weeks.
Trump鈥檚 executive order, which prohibits firms from operating in the United States if they deal with North Korea, came after the UN Security Council agreed its own further set of sanctions aimed at reducing Pyongyang鈥檚 ability to trade with the outside world.
But analysts say the sanctions show no signs of working, and cautioned that the increasingly ill-tempered and personal exchanges between Washington and Pyongyang did not augur well.
鈥淭here are some very dangerous things that could come that move this from theater to reality. This is the time to be heading them off, not making them feel inevitable,鈥� said John Delury of Yonsei University in Seoul.
鈥楽till hope for peace鈥�
Washington has refused to offer incentives to bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table, despite appeals to do so from China and Russia, who are both uneasy over Trump鈥檚 bellicose tone.
However in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trump suggested the door to dialogue remained open.
鈥淲hy not?鈥� he said, when asked whether there could be talks with Pyongyang.
China wields the most influence on North Korea, providing an economic lifeline. But it also fears the consequences if the regime collapses, such as an exodus of refugees or a US-allied, reunited Korea on its border.
鈥淣egotiation is the only way out and deserves every effort,鈥� Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the General Assembly.
The sentiments were echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said 鈥渕ilitary hysteria is not just an impasse, it鈥檚 disaster.鈥�
North Korean envoy Ri is expected to meet on Saturday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will send out feelers on possible diplomatic talks.
But Chung Sung-Yoon, analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that the North itself may have shelved the idea of negotiations until it reaches its nuclear goal.
鈥淧eople say this is all part of its brinkmanship strategy to force the US to come forward for negotiation. But the North is leaving too little room for the US to do so with the latest series of threats and provocations,鈥� he said.