North Korea’s foreign ministry threatened the United States with “the greatest pain and suffering it had ever gone through in its entire history” on Monday, the 16th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001.
In a statement broadcast by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang warned the American delegation at the United Nations against attempting to pass a new round of sanctions against the regime in response to its test of an alleged hydrogen atomic bomb this month. Early reports suggest the United States is attempting to garner support for a resolution that would impose a global embargo on North Korea’s oil industry; the most recent round of sanctions cut off North Korea’s coal and seafood industries.
“The forthcoming measures to be taken by the DPRK will cause the U.S. the greatest pain and suffering it had ever gone through in its entire history,” the foreign ministry statement read, threatening a “due price” on Washington for confronting North Korea’s belligerence.
“The DPRK is ready and willing to use any form of ultimate means,” the statement concluded. DPRK is an abbreviation for the nation’s name for itself, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
In addition to this threat from the government, the nation’s state newspaper Rodong Sinmun published several articles threatening to destroy the United States. “The second test-launch of ICBM Hwasong-14 conducted in July was a serious warning to the U.S. which is running riot, bereft of reason,” one of the articles reads. “The more desperately the U.S. resorts to unprecedentedly hideous sanctions to pressurize the DPRK, the stronger the degree of the latter’s countermeasures will become. Such moves of the U.S. will only boomerang on it.”
“The U.S. will receive more big or small ‘gift packages’ if it persists in hostile policy toward the DPRK,” the piece concludes
A separate article warns South Korea that “the U.S. is not a protector of the south Korean people but arrogant aggressor and root cause of misfortune and disaster.”
“The U.S. moves for forcing the south Korean authorities to accept the deployment of THAAD are a vivid expression of the arrogant and brigandish nature of the Yankees,” Rodong Sinmun continues.
North Korea threatens nuclear annihilation of the United States and South Korea on a nearly daily basis through its state media arms. Its allusions to “history” on Monday, however, appear to be a veiled recognition of the significance of the September 11 date and a warning that dictator Kim Jong-un is willing to conduct attacks of similar destructive force against America, though North Korea insists on its potential to bomb America with a nuclear weapon.
Pyongyang has appeared especially concerned with the possibility of a new round of United Nations Security Council sanctions, which would require support from North Korea’s largest trade partner, China. The Chinese government has indicated it would be supportive of a new sanctions bill if its contents were not significantly damaging to the North Korean economy. North Korea detonated what it claims to be a “perfect” hydrogen bomb at the beginning of the month and staged a parade celebration last week in honor of the scientists responsible. Its military is seeking to miniaturize such a nuclear fusion weapon to be able to place it on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach the U.S. mainland.
Last week, KCNA published a story threatening American UN ambassador Nikki Haley, calling her a “prostitute” for her warning to North Korea that there are consequences for threatening the region to such an extent. “Nikki should be careful with her tongue though she might be a blind fool. The U.S. administration will have to pay a dear price for her tongue-lashing,” the KCNA statement read.