North Korea blasts Japanese PM as 'idiot,' warns of ballistic missile launch toward Japan

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

North Korea called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe an "idiot" and "political dwarf" Saturday in a row over Pyongyang's latest rocket tests, warning that he "may see what a real ballistic missile is in the not distant future."

The statement from the North Korean foreign ministry followed Pyongyang's launch of two short-range projectiles into the ocean on Thursday.

The test had prompted Abe to convene a National Security cabinet meeting in Tokyo to call the move a "grave challenge to the international community," according to the Kyodo news service.

North Korea responded with a blistering statement from an unnamed deputy foreign minister in charge of Japanese affairs, saying Abe didn't know what he was talking about when it comes to military hardware.

"Abe is the only one idiot in the world and the most stupid man ever known in history as he fails to distinguish a missile from multiple launch rocket system," said the statement, which was carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Prosecutors: Noted American coder taught North Korea how to evade sanctions with cryptocurrency

"The wretched sight of Abe makes us regard him as a dog seized with fear or a puppy fawning over its master like the U.S.," the statement continued, adding, "Abe is none other than a perfect imbecile and a political dwarf without parallel in the world."

It concluded with a blunt warning that the Japanese leader "may see what a real ballistic missile is in the not distant future and under his nose."

North Korea's test on Thursday was the 13th time since May that it has launched projectiles of any type, including likely ballistic missiles, according to Yonhap, the South Korean News Agency.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un expressed "great satisfaction" over what it said was the fourth test of the "super-large multiple-rocker launcher," according to KCNA.

U.N. Security Council resolutions ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. In 2017, the North fired two ballistic missiles over Japan.

North Korea's latest military moves follow stalled nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea and the collapse of the Hanoi summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in February.

The last two working-level talks between the two countries in Stockholm ended in October with little progress. North Korea has demanded that Washington drop its "hostile policy" toward Pyongyang before it will resume denuclearization talks.

North Korea: Test of ‘super-large’ rocket launcher was final review

More: Joe Biden campaign fires back after North Korean media calls him a 'rabid dog'