North Korea slams Donald Trump for 'bluffing', calls him 'old man'

As Trump posted a tweet on December 8 criticising Kim Jong Un for the missile tests saying that he has "everything to lose" if he continues the "hostile actions", North Korea on December 9 slammed US President Trump for "bluffing" and called him "an old man bereft of patience". North's counterpart to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Kim Jong Un might change his views regarding United State Trump if he continues to make 'inappropriate, dangerous' comments. The senior North Korean official was also instrumental in arranging a second summit between the nation's supreme leader and Trump, and said that Washington has been ignoring the year-end deadline which was set by Pyongyang for Trump to soften its stance in the halted denuclearisation talks. 

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War of words

Though the countries' leaders have met three times since 2018, the talks have not turned out fruitful. Their rhetorics has been considerably derogatory as in 2017, Trump called Kim Jong Un “Rocket Man” and North Korea slammed the US President, 73, as a “dotard”. The same reference was repeated by Trump on December 4 as he called Kim “Rocket Man” and said the United States reserved the right to use military force against North Korea. To this, North Korea replied that any repeat of such language would represent “the relapse of the dotage of a dotard". Yet Trump has maintained his hope that North Korea will denuclearize.

Read: North Korea's UN Envoy Says Denuclearization Off Negotiating Table With US

N Korea demands unilateral denuclearization

North Korea had set a year-end deadline for the US to change its policy of demanding Pyongyang’s unilateral denuclearization and demanded relief from punishing sanctions. Tensions have risen as it is already December and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned that he could take an unspecified “new path” in 2020. Kim's statement could mean a return to the nuclear bomb and long-range missile testing suspended since 2017. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on December 4 reiterated the call for the US to change its “hostile policies” and said it was up to Washington to decide what “Christmas gift” came at the end of the year. 

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(With inputs from agencies)

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