North Korea sentences Donald Trump to death after insulting Kim Jong-un

War of words: Kim Jong-Un's North Korean Workers' Party newspaper wrote that US President Donald Trump had now been 'sentenced to death by the Korean people'. Photo / AP

North Korea's state media has said U.S. President Donald Trump deserves the death penalty for insulting dictator Kim Jong-Un in a tweet.

Last week, the President took to his preferred social media channel to air his grievance that Kim had called him "old", adding that he had refrained from calling the North Korean dictator "short and fat".

In response, North Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote that Trump had now been "sentenced to death by the Korean people", the MailOnline reported.

"The worst crime for which he can never be pardoned is that he dared [to] malignantly hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership," the editorial said.

"He should know that he is just a hideous criminal sentenced to death by the Korean people," it added.

Since becoming president, Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un, trading personal insults and threats of military strikes and raising concerns about an outbreak of hostilities.

War of words: Kim Jong-Un's North Korean Workers' Party newspaper wrote that U.S. President Donald Trump had now been 'sentenced to death by the Korean people'. Photo / AP

Towards the end of his Asia tour, Trump sent a tweet from Hanoi that took the verbal jousting to a new level, taunting the North Korean leader over his height and weight.

"Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat'?" he tweeted.

Kim Jong-un, 33, is reportedly between 5ft7in and 5ft9in tall, and is thought to weight around 136kg.

If Trump's own words on his weight and height - 6ft3in and 106kg - is to be believed, the 71-year-old has a BMI of 29.5, which puts him just 0.5 units from entering the obese category.

The members of the ruling Kim dynasty - past and present - enjoy near god-like status in North Korea, which has demonstrated extreme sensitivity to any remark that might be seen as mocking or disrespectful of the leadership.

The editorial also took a dig at Trump's failure to tour the demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas - a traditional stop-off for senior US officials visiting the South.

Trump's helicopter taking him to the DMZ had turned back after just five minutes due to bad weather - an explanation the newspaper dismissed.

"It wasn't the weather," the editorial said: "He was just too scared to face the glaring eyes of our troops."