U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to “totally destroy” North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear standoff, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.
Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.
Unless North Korea backs down, he said, “We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea.”
“Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime,” he said.
Beginning his speech shortly after arriving at UN headquarters in New York, Trump said the world faces destructive threats from rogue states and “terrorists and extremists.”
“Rogue regimes not only support terrorists but threaten other nations with the most destructive weapon known to humanity,” Trump said, referring to nuclear weapons.
Reading carefully from a script, Trump promised the United States military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.
Trump, who came to power promoting an America First agenda, told world leaders that the U.S. does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries’ sovereignty, despite ramping up U.S. military activity in several theatres of war since taking office.
“I will defend America’s interests above all else,” he said.
“But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations, we also realize it’s in everyone’s interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.”
North Korea’s Ambassador to the UN, Ja Song Nam, leaves his seat prior to the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)