‘Marching goes on even when dogs bark,’ says Minister

North Korea’s Foreign Minister has described as “the sound of a dog barking” President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy his country.

The comments are the North’s first response to Mr. Trump’s debut speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, during which he vowed to “totally destroy North Korea” if provoked.

Mr. Trump also called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “Rocket man.”

The North’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York late Wednesday that “It would be a dog’s dream if he intended to scare us with the sound of a dog barking.”

South Korean TV footage also showed Mr. Ri saying he feels “sorry for his aides” when he was asked about Mr. Trump’s “Rocket man” comments. He was to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday, according to Yonhap news agency.

Strong statements

Mr. Trump has unleashed many strong statements on North Korea including his August warning the North will be met with “fire and fury.” The North has responded by a slew of weapons tests and warlike and often-mocking rhetoric against Mr. Trump.

A top North Korean general called Mr. Trump’s “fire and fury” threats “a load of nonsense” let out by “a guy bereft of reason.”

The rhetorical battle came as outside experts say North Korea is getting closer to achieve its long-stated goal of building nuclear-armed missiles capable hitting anywhere in the US mainland.

Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date and it was subsequently slapped with fresh, tough UN sanctions. North Korea later fired a ballistic missile over Japan and the US military flew powerful bombers and stealth fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in a show of force against the North.