North Korea's foreign minister has said he feels “sorry” for Donald Trump’s aides.

Speaking on the sides of the United Nations general assembly in New York, Ri Yong-ho also compared the US President's threats against his country as the equivalent of a "dog barking".

His comments followed Mr Trump's description of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as a "Rocket Man on a suicide mission".

After first using the name in a tweet, Mr Trump invoked it again during his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The US leader's description was backed by members of his administrations including his National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who said the title made sense, because North Korea is “where the rockets are coming from”.

America’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the nickname “worked” because other countries now use it.

But Mr Ri had a different take.

“I feel sorry for his aides”, he said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News agency.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

He added: "If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream."

North Korea has stepped up its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles over the past year. Earlier this month, the secretive communist state said it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test.