Donald Trump said Russia and China have also condemned the North Korea missile launch (Reuters)
New Delhi:
US President Donald Trump, who in September called North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un "little rocket man", repeated the slight again a day after the secretive country launched an advanced ballistic missile that analysts said was of great concern.
"The Chinese Envoy, who just returned from North Korea, seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man. Hard to believe his people, and the military, put up with living in such horrible conditions. Russia and China condemned the launch," Donald Trump tweeted today.
This is not the first time Mr Trump has called the North Korean leader "little rocket man" -- it was a disparaging label he first slung at Kim Jong in a UN speech, in which he threatened the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea in defence of itself or its allies.
The US today also warned the North Korean leadership that it would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out, after Pyongyang test-fired the intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US mainland within range.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea's ballistic and nuclear weapons program, including military ones, but that it still prefers a diplomatic option.
Still, speaking at an emergency UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Nikki Haley warned: "We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it. If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday ... And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed."
Ms Haley said the United States has asked China to cut off oil supply to North Korea, a drastic step that Beijing - the North's sole major trading partner - has so far refrained from doing. Mr Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier on Wednesday and said more sanctions on Pyongyang would be enforced.
With inputs from Reuters
"The Chinese Envoy, who just returned from North Korea, seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man. Hard to believe his people, and the military, put up with living in such horrible conditions. Russia and China condemned the launch," Donald Trump tweeted today.
This is not the first time Mr Trump has called the North Korean leader "little rocket man" -- it was a disparaging label he first slung at Kim Jong in a UN speech, in which he threatened the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea in defence of itself or its allies.
The US today also warned the North Korean leadership that it would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out, after Pyongyang test-fired the intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US mainland within range.
Several analysts noted that the North Korean missile looked like the American Titan II
Still, speaking at an emergency UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Nikki Haley warned: "We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it. If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday ... And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed."
Ms Haley said the United States has asked China to cut off oil supply to North Korea, a drastic step that Beijing - the North's sole major trading partner - has so far refrained from doing. Mr Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier on Wednesday and said more sanctions on Pyongyang would be enforced.
With inputs from Reuters
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