New Fiery Rhetoric From Pyongyang As Trump Visits The Region

(U.S. News & World Report)

NORTH KOREA ISSUED NEW warnings to the U.S. on Thursday, blasting recent statements by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and threatening military action if diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang continues to falter.

A statement from North Korea's foreign ministry said the U.S. "viciously slandered" the country, citing the recent release of State Department reports about human trafficking and religious freedom that rank North Korea poorly, and Pompeo's comments on Sunday reiterating that 80 percent of North Korea's economy remains under U.S. sanctions.

"It would be difficult to look forward to the improvement of bilateral relations and denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as long as American politics are dominated by the policy-makers who have an inveterate antagonism towards the DPRK," the statement read, using North Korea's preferred acronym for itself. "If anyone dares to trample over our sovereignty and the right to existence, we will never hesitate to pull a muscle-flexing trigger in order to defend ourselves. Read more