Trump, N/Korea war of words escalates

US President Donald Trump has made new threats against North Korea in response to the country’s foreign minister’s fiery speech at the UN on Saturday. Ri Yong-ho described Mr Trump as a “mentally deranged person full of megalomania” on a “suicide mission”. The US president responded by saying Mr Ri and North Korean leader Kim […]

US President Donald Trump has made new threats against North Korea in response to the country’s foreign minister’s fiery speech at the UN on Saturday.

Ri Yong-ho described Mr Trump as a “mentally deranged person full of megalomania” on a “suicide mission”.

The US president responded by saying Mr Ri and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “won’t be around much longer” if they continue their rhetoric.

The fresh insults came as US bombers flew close to North Korea’s east coast.

The Pentagon said the aim was to demonstrate the military options available to the US to defeat any threat.

Ri Yong-ho’s comments to the General Assembly on Saturday mimicked Mr Trump’s remarks at the UN on Tuesday, when he called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a “rocket man on a suicide mission”.

Mr Ri said that “insults” by Mr Trump were an “irreversible mistake making it inevitable” that North Korean rockets would hit the US mainland.