By Valeria Bula
On Monday, Sept. 24, 2017, North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho accused President Donald Trump of declaring war against North Korea when tweeting last weekend that North Korea “won’t be around much longer,” proceeding to threaten that North Korea has the right shoot down American warplanes even if not in their airspace.
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
“Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn’t be around much longer and declared a war on our country,” Ri 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,” Ri said.
The US found this assumption absurd, as suggested by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday. She went on to say that it is “never appropriate” to shoot down another nation’s aircraft in international waters.
Earlier the same day, Katina Adams, State Department spokesperson, told CNN that the US is seeking a, “peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
This does not prevent the US from having a defensive edge in case of any surprise attack by North Korea. Colonel Rob Manning, Pentagon spokesman said the US military will take any necessary precaution to safeguard the United States and its allies, “so if North Korea does not stop their provocative actions we’ll make sure we provide options to the President to deal with North Korea.”
Manning asserts that the Pentagon has a deep arsenal of military options to provide the president so he could then decide what course of action to take on to deal with the North Korean Regime. The US Navy is also taking its precautions by maintaining a presence near the Korean peninsula despite the eminent threats from Pyongyang.
Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, said he saw no prospect of talks with North Korea that would allow its “de facto nuclear capability.” North Korea’s top leader, Kim Jong-un, has already ruled out giving up nuclear weapons.
Monday’s threat serves as part of an ongoing war of words between the two nations consisting of verbal threats, antagonizing comments and flexing their respective arms.
In his speech last Tuesday, Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend itself or an ally. He proceeded to yet another tweet storm on Friday, saying Kim was “obviously a madman” who would be “tested like never before.”
Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017
To which Kim responded to Trump in a rare televised speech that Trump will “pay dearly” for the threats and accusations suggesting he was “mentally deranged.”
The nations then saw a new salvo on Saturday, when the US military, in a show of force, flew bombers within international airspace over waters east of North Korea.
Ri’s threat also surface after a week of UN General Assembly meetings which escalated to Ri directly calling out Trump mid-speech at the UN on Saturday. Ri said that Trump had made a missile attack on the US mainline inevitable by insulting the dignity of North Korea.
In response to Ri’s remarks, Trump took to Twitter Saturday night, sending out the tweet North Korea interpreted as a threat for war.
