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North Korea says Donald Trump's latest comments are 'clearly a declaration of war' North Korea says Trump's latest comments are 'clearly a declaration of war'
(35 minutes later)
North Korea says US President Donald Trump has declared war on their country. North Korea's foreign minister has said Donald Trump's latest comments about the Asian country amount to a declaration of war.
Mr Trump appeared to threaten regime change over the weekend, tweeting to say that the country's foreign minister "won't be around much longer" if he continued to echo the thoughts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters in New York, adding: "In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operations table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea]."
Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded in a press conference, saying: "The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country." Mr Trump had appeared to threaten regime change in North Korea over the weekend, tweeting Mr Ri "won't be around much longer" if he continued to echo the thoughts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"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," he added. Leaving the UN on Monday, Mr Ri said his country now had "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".
The Foreign Minister went on to say that "the question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then". He added that "all options will be on the operations table" of the North Korean regime. The question of who would be around longer would be answered then, he added. 
The comments echoed the Trump administration's warnings that "all options remain on the table" in dealing with North Korea's burgeoning nuclear programme. The regime has reportedly developed missiles capable of reaching the US homeland, and conducted its sixth-ever nuclear test earlier this month. The country has repeatedly threatened to use its nuclear weapons on the US if provoked. The day before, the US had flown fighter jets close to North Korea's east coast – the farthest north any US fighter plane has flown over the demilitarised zone this century, according to the Pentagon. A Pentagon spokeswoman said the flyover was intended as a message to North Korea that Mr Trump had many military options at his disposal.
Mr Trump has responded to the growing threat my escalating his rhetoric against North Korea, at one point threatening to send "fire and fury" to the country if the threats did not cease. In his speech to the United Nations last week, Mr Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea, and referred to Mr Jong-un as "Rocket Man". "We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," said spokeswoman Dana White.
Mr Ri responded by saying that targeting the United States mainland with its rockets was now inevitable. Mr Ri's comments echoed these words, and those of many in the Trump administration regarding North Korea's burgeoning nuclear programme.
Afterwards, Mr Trump took to twitter to say: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" North Korea conducted its sixth-ever nuclear test earlier this month, and has reportedly developed missiles capable of reaching the US homeland. The country has repeatedly threatened to use its nuclear weapons on the US if provoked.
Mr Ri had also called the US President "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" who was trying to turn the UN into a "gangsters' nest." Mr Trump has responded to the growing threat by escalating his rhetoric against North Korea, at one point threatening to send "fire and fury" to the country if the threats did not cease. In his speech to the United Nations last week, Mr Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea, and referred to Mr Jong-un as "Rocket Man".
More follows Mr Ri responded by saying that it was now "inevitable" that North Korea would target the US mainland with its rockets. The Foreign Minister has also called Mr Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" who was trying to turn the UN into a "gangsters' nest."
Mr Jong-un took the highly unusual step of responding to Mr Trump's UN speech himself, rather than releasing a statement from the regime through state-owned news channels. In his speech, Mr Jong-un said he would "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire".
North Korea recently launched two separate missiles over Japan, demonstrating their growing military capability. The UN has implemented increasingly stringent sanction on the country, capping their oil imports, banning textile exports, and barring countries from giving work visas to North Korean citizens.
"Enough is enough," US ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council earlier this month. "War is never something the United States wants. We don't want it now. But our country's patience is not unlimited."