Blamed Trump, North Korea Ready for War with US
Blamed Trump, North Korea Ready for War with US
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PYONGYANG - North Korea's vice foreign minister blamed US President Donald Trump on Friday for 'making trouble' through his 'aggressive tweets' as tensions rise over the possibility the regime will launch another nuclear weapons test.
Vice Minister Han Song Ryol sat down for an interview with the Associated Press (AP) on the eve of the country's biggest national holiday, the 'Day of the Sun' amid increasingly bitter words between the two countries.
Han accused Trump of building up a 'vicious cycle' of tensions and warned the US against provoking North Korea militarily.
"We will go to war if they choose," he said.
His remarks come hours after a member of the Trump administration denied a report claiming the US was prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike to halt any nuclear test at the weekend.
North Korea blames Trump and the US for the rising tensions, according to Han, who cited US-South Korean wargames, the deployment of a US aircraft carrier to the peninsula last weekend, as well as Trump's recent tweets on Tuesday that the North is 'looking for trouble'.
Trump also called North Korea a 'menace' earlier this week and tweeted that if China doesn't do its part to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, the US 'will solve the problem without them'.
"As long as the nuclear threats and blackmail go on with the military exercises, we will carry forward with our national defense buildup, the core of which is the nuclear arms buildup," Han said.
"That is something that our headquarters decides. At a time and at a place where the headquarters deems necessary, it will take place," he added.
Vice President Mike Pence will embark on a 10-day visit to Asia, starting in South Korea on Sunday with contingency plans should it coincide with a nuclear test, a White House adviser said.
Vice Minister Han Song Ryol sat down for an interview with the Associated Press (AP) on the eve of the country's biggest national holiday, the 'Day of the Sun' amid increasingly bitter words between the two countries.
Han accused Trump of building up a 'vicious cycle' of tensions and warned the US against provoking North Korea militarily.
"We will go to war if they choose," he said.
His remarks come hours after a member of the Trump administration denied a report claiming the US was prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike to halt any nuclear test at the weekend.
North Korea blames Trump and the US for the rising tensions, according to Han, who cited US-South Korean wargames, the deployment of a US aircraft carrier to the peninsula last weekend, as well as Trump's recent tweets on Tuesday that the North is 'looking for trouble'.
Trump also called North Korea a 'menace' earlier this week and tweeted that if China doesn't do its part to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, the US 'will solve the problem without them'.
"As long as the nuclear threats and blackmail go on with the military exercises, we will carry forward with our national defense buildup, the core of which is the nuclear arms buildup," Han said.
"That is something that our headquarters decides. At a time and at a place where the headquarters deems necessary, it will take place," he added.
Vice President Mike Pence will embark on a 10-day visit to Asia, starting in South Korea on Sunday with contingency plans should it coincide with a nuclear test, a White House adviser said.
(rnz)
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