The U.S. President Threatens North Korea with 'Total Destruction'

On Tuesday, September 19, Donald Trump, in his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly, emphasized America's support for its allies and friends, threatening North Korea with 'total destruction.' According to Reuters, Trump stated that if Pyongyang does not back down from its current position, the U.S. will have no choice but to 'completely destroy North Korea.' This statement is likely to be recorded as a unique position in the history of speeches given by world leaders at the UN. It was previously reported that in his first speech at the UN as President, Trump reserved his harshest criticism for North Korea on one hand and the Islamic Republic of Iran due to the nuclear deal on the other. In recent months since Trump began his term in the White House, tensions between the United States and North Korea have escalated week by week. North Korea's missile tests near Japan and South Korea, two U.S. allies, and Trump's increasingly aggressive responses, which have in turn provoked stronger reactions from North Korea, have heightened these tensions. A new round of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea was approved on September 11. Following this, Trump remarked that this international action was merely a small step and 'cannot be compared to what is ultimately going to happen.' North Korea also reacted to these sanctions. Now, at the UN and in the presence of leaders from most countries, including Russia and China, North Korea's biggest supporters, Trump threatened that if North Korea does not cease its nuclear activities, 'we will have no choice but to completely destroy North Korea.' Reuters reports that following this statement from the U.S. President, murmurs were heard in the assembly hall. Trump also directly referred to Kim Jong-un in his speech about North Korea, saying, 'The rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime.' He further urged UN member states to work together to isolate Kim's government in North Korea in hopes that he would cease his 'hostile' behavior. No reactions have yet been released from the governments of China and Russia regarding this matter. Less than a week ago, the United States had asked the governments of Russia and China to take 'direct action' to prevent North Korea's missile and nuclear activities. According to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Moscow and Beijing 'must demonstrate their intolerance for these irresponsible missile tests by taking direct actions.' In this context, Kuwait expelled the North Korean ambassador, and meetings between the foreign ministers of Russia and the U.S. were held on the eve of the UN gathering concerning the North Korean crisis; naval exercises by China and Russia, and military drills by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan were the main topics of Trump's first speech at the UN.