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Trump's threat akin to `sound of a dog barking': North Korea

Isabel Reynolds and Seyoon Kim (Bloomberg)
New York, United States
Thu, September 21, 2017

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Trump's threat akin to `sound of a dog barking': North Korea US President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd Annual UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19, 2017. (Agence France -Presse/Timothy A. Clary)

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orth Korea’s foreign minister ridiculed US President Donald Trump’s threat to annihilate the isolated state, saying his warning was akin to the sound of a barking dog.

"If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that’s really a dog dream," Ri Yong Ho said in televised comments to reporters Wednesday in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly.

Ri was speaking a day after Trump marked his debut speech at the assembly by referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and threatening to "totally destroy" the country if it attacks the US or its allies. Trump’s staff defended the president’s comments as an honest yet provocative argument about collective threats. Ri said he felt "sorry for his aides," when asked about the moniker.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also joined in the war of words, using his speech Wednesday at the UN to step up his already harsh rhetoric against North Korea. The premier said Kim was getting away with worse behavior than any dictator since the end of the Cold War.

Abe called for pressure on the regime, rather than talks, and again backed Trump’s vow to keep all options on the table for dealing with Pyongyang. The Japanese leader has seen his approval rating climb over his handling of Kim’s threats, and will make a decision on calling a snap election when he returns home.

Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, Sept. 20, 2017 in New York City.
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, Sept. 20, 2017 in New York City. (Agence France -Presse/Drew Angerer)

Abe said more than a decade of talks with North Korea had yielded only the realization the country never intends to give up its weapons programs. He accused the regime of swindling Japan and other countries out of aid money and urged the international community to follow through on strict sanctions.

"Whether we can stop North Korean provocations depends on the international community working together," he said. "There is not much time left."

“North Korea is attempting to dismiss with a smirk the efforts towards disarmament we have assiduously undertaken over the years,” Abe added. “The non-proliferation regime is about to suffer a serious blow from its most confident disrupter ever."

China and Russia have called for talks with North Korea, while backing progressively stronger UN sanctions. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly called on North Korea to enter into dialogue over its nuclear program.

South Korea’s inter-Korean cooperation committee on Thursday approved $8 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea, marking a resumption of support through UN organizations after it was ended in December 2015. The country’s Unification Ministry said the aid is a separate matter to the political situation on the Korean peninsula.

Thursday will also be a busy day of diplomatic action in New York. Trump has summits with both Abe and Moon separately, and the three leaders will also hold a meeting together. Moon is also scheduled to address the UN General Assembly.

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