Tensions, Rhetoric Heating Between U.S., North Korea
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Tensions continue to build between President Trump and North Korea, causing concern about possible nuclear warfare. The Pentagon says if North Korea does not stop provoking the U.S., it will make sure President Trump is given options to deal with the country.
"At last, he declared a war on our country," said Ri Yong-Ho, North Korea's Foreign Minister.
Yong-Ho spoke on Monday afternoon, two days after President Trump wrote this on Twitter: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
Now, North Korean Leaders say they are ready for war, and the White House made it a point to clarify the country's position on Monday.
"We've not declared war on North Korea, and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary.
On Friday, President Trump spoke to a crowd in Alabama, saying, "We can't have madmen out there shooting rockets all over the place."
On Saturday, U.S. bombers flew off North Korea's east coast, 200 miles out over international waters. The Pentagon said it highlighted how seriously President Trump takes Kim Jong Un's reckless behavior.
And now North Korea says it has the green light to defend itself against the U.S.
"We will have every right to make all self-defensive countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the U.S. strategic bombers at any time," Yong-Ho said.
"It's never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters," Sanders said.
The White House says it's focused on de-nuclearizing the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, other countries are looking for a communication ceasefire before anyone pulls a trigger.
"Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un have been using sirens to talk to each other, and the language is getting worse and worse," said Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the British Labour Party.
South Korea says there's still room for diplomacy.
"It is imperative that we, Korea and the United States, manage the situation with astuteness and steadfastness to prevent the further escalation of tension," said Kang Kyung-Wha, South Korea's Foreign Minister.
According to CBS News, U.S. intelligence has detected signs that North Korea could test an intercontinental ballistic missile sometime in the next 5 to 10 days.
