Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has slammed Kim Jong-un as a "fool" and a "son of a b**ch" who is "playing with dangerous toys." It comes just days before a meeting of 27 foreign ministers which will likely address the North Korean standoff.

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"This Kim Jong-un, a fool...he is playing with dangerous toys, that fool," Duterte told tax officials in a Wednesday speech, as quoted by Reuters.

"That chubby face that looks kind. That son of a b**ch. If he commits a mistake, the Far East will become an arid land. It must be stopped, this nuclear war.

"A limited confrontation and it blows up here, I will tell you, the fallout can deplete the soil, the resources and I don't know what will happen to us."

His comments come just days before the Philippines is set to host the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, which will bring together the foreign ministers of 27 countries – including the US, North Korea and South Korea. The meeting is almost certain to include discussions on the North Korean standoff.

The Wednesday remarks are not the first time that Duterte – known for his outspoken and often controversial rhetoric – has slammed Kim over his nuclear ambitions.

In April, Duterte questioned the North Korean leader's sanity, urging the US to show restraint and not become riled over a man who "wants to end the world."

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The comments come after North Korea claimed to have launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in recent weeks.

The Pentagon has backed Pyongyang's claims that the missiles were indeed ICBMs, although Russia says they were likely medium-range ballistic missiles.

Duterte – who is most known for his controversial war on drugs which has led to the deaths of more than 8,000 people – has consistently made headlines for his no-holds-barred opinions. His most recent statements include calling Britain's Oxford University a "school for stupid people" and calling the US a "lousy" country.

Last month, he warned Islamist militants fighting in the country that he would "eat their livers" in front of them, after seasoning them with salt and vinegar.

Duterte's other outbursts include calling former US President Barack Obama a "son of a b**ch/whore," accusing the Catholic Church of being "full of s**t," and threatening to "burn down the United Nations."