North Korea has blasted Donald Trump in an aggressive flashpoint. Photo / AP
North Korea has blasted Donald Trump in an aggressive flashpoint. Photo / AP
North Korea has blasted Donald Trump again in a fresh aggressive flashpoint, amid fears that another nuclear missile launch is imminent.
The rogue nation called the US President an "old lunatic" today, and warned the US that it faces "disgrace and destruction".
The country's state news agency KCNA also claimed the US was "scared" by its apparent successful test-fire of its Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month, reports News.com.au.
In a statement, the KCNA said: "Frightened by the DPRK's successful test-fire of ICBM Hwasong-15, old lunatic Trump talked about 'way of serious approach'."
"Anti-DPRK hardliners including the US ambassador to the United Nations let out such nonsense as 'dangerous circumstances', going so impudent as to urge the DPRK not to 'make a mistake.'"
"War maniacs of the US are urging 'Congress to discuss the issue of pre-emptive attack' on the DPRK, referring to the need to 'withdraw American citizens' from South Korea, only to make a war against the DPRK an established fact.'"
The ongoing war of words comes as North Korea's Minju Joson newspaper also issued a warning to America, saying it needed to "cool their heads" in order to avoid "disgrace and destruction".
Kim Jong Un inspects an intercontinental ballistic missile test in North Korea. Photo / KCNA
The paper said: "The Trump cult's talk about 'military counteraction' is just ridiculous as it is incapable of judging what the declaration means.
"We warn him once again that if his regime resorts to military counteraction after losing discretion, it will face a tougher countermeasure by the DPRK and fall deeper into a quagmire.
"The Trump-led US authorities should behave with reason, well aware of where they are standing and what they are doing.
"They had better cool their heads heated by war hysteria and be prudent if they don't want to meet bitterer disgrace and destruction."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, (third from left),and the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo / KCNA
Trump has not commented on the fresh warnings yet as tensions continue to build between both leaders.
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has warned of a risk of escalation after Washington toughened its stance on North Korea nuclear talks and Trump accused Moscow of failing to help.
"It's sad that this powerful element of demands for further pressure on Pyongyang has once again appeared in the American position," Ryabkov told RIA Novosti news agency.
"It's high time to stop this race of threats, pressure, blackmail and presentation of preconditions and shift to a real search for a political solution," Ryabkov said.
He said that now both Pyongyang and Washington are now putting forward preconditions for talks and there is a "risk of uncontrolled escalation".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the United Nations Security Council backed away from an earlier offer of unconditional talks to end the stand-off with Pyongyang, apparently under White House pressure.
Trump on Friday complained that "Russia is not helping" to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program.
Ryabkov said that "after the UN Security Council session and speeches by senior representatives of Western countries, we got the impression that the logic of pressure is the dominant one in their approach".
He warned that the current situation is "extremely dangerous".
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks to reporters after a high level Security Council meeting on the situation in North Korea. Photo / AP
"We wouldn't like to end up in a situation where despite all the efforts by Russia and North Korea and by our two countries jointly, yet another spiral of confrontation begins."
Moscow had close ties with its far eastern neighbour during the Soviet era when the countries shared Communist ideology and they still have relatively warm relations.
Both Pyongyang's chief ally China and Russia argue that sanctions alone will not compel North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to change course and want to step up diplomatic efforts to achieve a solution.
Ryabkov called for "openness and dialogue from both Pyongyang and Washington, mutual restraint and an aim to work out a starting point for a diplomatic step forward".
