In UN speech, Trump threatens N. Korea with total destruction
NEW YORK: United States President Donald Trump escalated his standoff with North Korea over its nuclear challenge yesterday, threatening to ‘‘totally destroy’’ the country of 26 million people and mocking its leader, Kim Jongun, as a ‘‘rocket man’’.
In a hardedged speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump offered a grim portrait of a world in peril, adopted a more confrontational approach to solving global challenges from Iran to Venezuela, and gave an unabashed defence of US sovereignty.
‘‘The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,’’ Trump told the 193member world body.
As loud, startled murmurs filled the hall, Trump described Kim in an acid tone, saying, ‘‘Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime.’’
His remarks rattled world leaders gathered in the General Assembly hall, where minutes earlier UN Secretarygeneral Antonio Guterres appealed for statesmanship, saying: ‘‘We must not sleepwalk our way into war.’’
Trump’s most direct military threat to attack North Korea, in his debut appearance at the General Assembly, was his latest expression of concern about Pyongyang’s repeated launching of ballistic missiles over Japan and underground nuclear tests.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom crossed her arms during the speech.
‘‘It was the wrong speech, at the wrong time, to the wrong audience,’’ Wallstrom later told the BBC.
A junior North Korean diplomat sat in the delegation’s frontrow seat for Trump’s speech, the North Korean UN mission said. The mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s sabrerattling rhetoric was in contrast to the comments of some of his own Cabinet members who have stated a preference for a diplomatic solution.
Defence Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was working to resolve the crisis diplomatically.
Trump also took aim at Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence, Venezuela’s collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists.
‘‘Major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell,’’ he said.
His strongest words were directed at North Korea. He urged UN member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its ‘‘hostile’’ behaviour.
In an apparent prod at China, Trump said: ‘‘It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.’’
The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for that 15member body to maintain its unity.
Turning to Iran, Trump called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a midOctober deadline.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in his UN speech, said his country would not close the door to negotiations over North Korea and staunchly defended the Iran nuclear deal. ‘‘Renouncing it would be a grave error,’’ Macron said.