NKorea threatens US with revenge for new sanctions while tempers flare at ASEAN in discussion over the crisis
North Korea has promised a “thousandfold revenge” against the United States in response to the fresh sanctions against the country Washington has passed through the UN.
ADVERTISEMENTAt the latest ASEAN meeting in Manila Japan reported “heated discussions” over the North Korean crisis among the 10 south-east Asian member nations. North Korea is not a member.
“Is our nuclear possession a threat to the world or is it just a threat to the United States? We want to make it clear that the worsening situation on the Korean peninsula, as well as the nuclear issues, were caused by the United States,” said North Korea’s ASEAN spokesman, Bang Kwang Hyuk.
The regional forum, founded at the height of the Cold War, is celebrating its 50th anniversary at one of the tensest moments in its history.
“I underscore the need to strictly and fully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the very recent one, and to further exert pressure on Pyongyang. Many participating countries are on the same page with Japan,” said Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was given a warm welcome from host President Duterte, who has been hostile towards the US in his first year in power. “I am your humble friend” he is reported to have told Tillerson.