Unpredictable consequences of the Trump - Kim Jong-un war of words

As both sides launched harsh personal attacks at each other, the door for compromise gradually closed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responded directly to US President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations. Photo: KCNA

North Korea has long portrayed itself as a belligerent nation through propaganda and diplomatic campaigns filled with threats, insults and sarcasm against its opponents. But by attacking US President Donald Trump by name on September 22, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has taken the country's brinkmanship to a new level and also created a new danger, according to the New York Times.

In a statement using the first-person pronoun published in North Korean state media and state television, Mr. Kim called Mr. Trump a “mentally deranged American dotard” who “denied the existence of my country and insulted it before the whole world.” The North Korean leader vowed to “respond with the harshest countermeasure in history.”

According to observers, the decision to personally attack President Trump's speech before the United Nations General Assembly on September 19 and vow retaliation could escalate tensions related to North Korea's nuclear program in an unprecedented way.

In his first speech to the United Nations, the US President vowed to "totally destroy" North Korea to protect the US and its allies, calling leader Kim Jong-un "rocket man on a suicide mission".

War of words

Although not mentioning nuclear weapons, in the current context, Mr. Kim's statement is still the clearest evidence showing that the North Korean government has no intention of retreating or compromising, even when war is imminent, writer Choe Sang-hun from NYTimes commented.

Mr. Kim affirmed that President Trump's threat "not only did not make him afraid or falter" but also helped confirm that the path the North Korean leader chose was completely correct and he would "pursue it to the end."

Not long after Mr. Kim's comments, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho immediately warned that Pyongyang was likely to "conduct the largest-ever hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean."

Mr. Ri certainly could not have announced the shocking information without the approval of leader Kim Jong-un. However, analysts are skeptical whether North Korea has the technology or the political courage to carry out such a daring nuclear test.

The US President yesterday continued to respond to the North Korean leader with another personal attack. On Twitter, the White House owner asserted that Mr. Kim "is clearly a madman".

Unforeseen consequences

US President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19. Photo: New York Times

North Korea often issues announcements on behalf of the government or military, and leader Kim Jong-un has given annual New Year's speeches since taking power in 2011. But the statement on September 22 was the first time Kim had publicly attacked a foreign leader. Neither his father nor his grandfather had made such direct statements, according to South Korean officials.

As a result, the confrontation between North Korea and the US has turned into a duel between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, analysts said.

"This is unprecedented," said Paik Hak-soon, a longtime North Korea analyst at the Sejong Institute outside Seoul, referring to Kim Jong-un's statement. "This is how the North Korean supreme leader acts, Kim Jong-un has to react strongly when the enemy is increasingly confronting him, like Trump is doing."

“North Koreans have no concept of submission,” Mr. Park said. “That is the core of their leadership style and motivation.”

People in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 22, watched a news report about leader Kim Jong-un's statement in response to the US President. Photo: AFP

So far, the North Korean leader has refrained from launching personal attacks against the US President, even when Mr. Trump called him a "crazy person," "acting crazy" and most recently, "rocket man."

On September 22, the North Korean leader said he considered the latest statements from the US President as a personal attack, accusing Mr. Trump of making "the most aggressive declaration of war in history."

Mr Kim also added that Mr Trump's belligerent tone only showed a weak image of America because "a scared dog usually barks louder".

Faced with Trump's threats of destruction, Kim's only option is to respond with equal force, according to Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.

"When Trump stood before the UN General Assembly and threatened to completely destroy North Korea, Kim Jong-un took it as America's declaration to the world of its intention to use military action against his country," Koh commented. "He had to respond accordingly, launching similar verbal bombs."

Experts say that having staked his reputation on his statement, Mr. Kim is now unlikely to back down. Instead, the North Korean government will conduct more nuclear and missile tests.

Trump warns the US may have to 'totally destroy' North Korea.

"Trump shot himself in the foot with his speech to the UN General Assembly," said Lee Sung-yoon, a North Korea expert at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. "By threatening to totally destroy North Korea, he created the impression around the world that it was the US, not North Korea, that was the aggressor. As a result, Trump gave Kim Jong-un an excuse to launch more aggressive attacks."

"Kim will seize the opportunity and claim that it was 'self-defense' against Trump's unpredictable threats," Lee stressed.

According to VNE