North Koreas foreign minister has said US President Donald Trump "has lit the wick of a war" and Pyongyang is ready to deal with the situation.
Russias TASS news agency quoted North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho as saying: "With his bellicose and insane statement at the United Nations, Trump, you can say, has lit the wick of a war against us."
"We need to settle the final score, only with a hail of fire, not words," he added.
During an address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Trump declared that the US would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.
Trump also mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, referring to him as "Rocket Man".
The speech came about a week after the UN Security Council had voted to ratchet up sanctions on North Korea following its sixth and largest nuclear test.
The North Korean foreign minister added that his country has nearly achieved the final point on the way to our ultimate goal, to achieving a real balance of force with the United States. "Our nuclear weapons will never be a subject matter of negotiations as long as the United States policy of pressure on the DPRK (North Korea) has not been uprooted once and for all."
The current tensions on the Korean Peninsula started following increased provocations by the US which includes military drills and deployment of warships and submarines in the region.
Pyongyang insists that developing its military defenses including nuclear weapons is important to counter incessant provocations by the US including a possible nuclear aggression.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/9110
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