North Korea calls Trump's threats a 'declaration of war' and threatens to shoot down US bombers

kim jong un
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet located in the southernmost part of the waters off the southwest front, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 5, 2017.KCNA/ via REUTERS
North Korea's foreign minister called President Donald Trump's comments at the UN General Assembly a clear "declaration of war" that would lead the country to trying to shoot down US strategic bombers even if they're not in North Korea's airspace, according to the BBC.

North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho spoke with reporters in New York, saying, "The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country."

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.

The North Korean statement referred to Trump telling the UN that if the US is "forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

Trump said in the same speech that Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, was a "rocket man" who was "on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."

"If Trump thinks that he would bring North Korea, a nuclear power, to its knees through nuclear war threat, it is a big miscalculation and ignorance," read North Korea's statement.

Trump and Kim have been locked in a war of words since Trump threatened to respond to further North Korean provocations with "fire and fury" in mid August.

Trump also specifically threatened Ri on Twitter, suggesting he "won't be around much longer" if he continues on a path of escalation with the US.

However, the US and North Korea are still technically at war, as the 1953 conflict ended in a ceasefire. It's unclear what the North Koreans mean by saying Trump declared war anew.

US B1-B bomb over Korea
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber drops MK-84 bomb during a training at the Pilsung Firing Range on September 18, 2017 in Gangwon-do, South Korea. U.S. F-35B stealth jets and B-1B bombers flew near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) for the first time since recent tension between U.S. and North Korea started raising.South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty
Additionally, the B-1B bomber recently flown off North Korea's coast by the US Air Force is a supersonic aircraft, and it's unclear if North Korea has any capacity to down such an advanced jet.

North Korea has also recently threatened to fire a salvo of missiles at Guam, a US territory in the Pacific, and to fire a nuclear-tipped missile into the Pacific ocean. Both threats have gone unfilled.

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