We have not declared war on North Korea – USA

THE White House has dismissed North Korea’s claim that a tweet by Donald Trump amounted to a declaration of war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the US had not “declared war” on Pyongyang.

The Trump administration also clarified on Monday that it was not seeking to overthrow North Korea’s government after President Trump tweeted that its leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer”.

Pyongyang interpreted that tweet as a declaration of war.

In a speech last week to the United Nations General Assembly that if the US was forced to defend itself against North Korea, “we will have no choice but to totally destroy” the country.

The US and North Korea agreed to an armistice after the 1950-1953 Korean War, not a peace treaty. Because of that, they are still technically at war.

The Trump administration also said it was not advocating regime change in North Korea.

North Korea’s top diplomat, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, responded to that at the United Nations, telling reporters it was a declaration of war against his country by the United States, and that the North had the right to shoot down US warplanes in international airspace.

A senior administration official said yesterday that the US policy was not regime change.