North Korea threatens to ‘shoot US bombers’, says Trump was first to declare a war

Ri Yong-ho, North Korea’s Foreign Minister, has accused President Donald Trump of the United States of declaring war on his country.

Yong-ho told reporters in New York that henceforth, North Korea has the right to shoot down US bombers even when they are not in North Korean airspace.

“Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn’t be around much longer and declared a war on our country,” Yong-ho said, according to an official translation of his remarks to reporters in New York.

“Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive counter measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country.

“The world should clearly remember it was the US that first declared war.”

However, Katina Adams, spokesperson of the US State Department told CNN that “the United States has not ‘declared war’ on North Korea.”

“We continue to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Adams said.

But Rob Manning, spokesman of the Pentagon said: “Our job as the Department of Defense is to make sure that the President is provided military options, we’ll continue to do that, and we have a deep arsenal of military options to provide the President so then he can decide how he wants to deal with North Korea and the regime.”

“We are postured and we are ready to fight tonight,” he added.


On Monday afternoon, Trump had tweeted that North Korea “won’t be around any longer”.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

During the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, Trump had threatened that the United States will be left with no choice than to completely “destroy North Korea” if it were forced to defend itself.

In reply, Yong-ho said Trump’s comments were nothing more than the sound of a “barking dog”.

Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean President, however urged Trump to quit behaving like the “biblical Goliath”, but to rather blow his trumpet to the sounds of peace and unity.