North Korea's foreign minister declared on Monday that the United States had declared war on his country — a declaration that came in the form of a presidential tweet.
Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, speaking outside a hotel near the United Nations before an assembled crowd of journalists, said that President Donald Trump's Saturday night tweet would not go unanswered.
"The UN charter stipulates individual member states’ rights to self-defense," Ri said. "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures including the right to shoot down the United States’ strategic bombers even when they’re not yet inside the airspace border of our country."
On Saturday, ahead of Ri's speech at the UN General Assembly, US Air Force B-1B bombers flew along North Korea's east coast, escorted by fighter jets. Though still over international waters, the flight was further north of the DMZ than any US military flight has gone in the since the end of the 20th century, the Pentagon
said.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White
told Reuters, calling North Korea’s weapons program "a grave threat."
"'President Evil' is holding the seat of the US president," Ri said during his speech, warning that Pyongyang was ready to defend itself if the United States showed any sign of conducting a "decapitating operation on our headquarters or military attack against our country."
President Trump fired back on Twitter later that evening, repeating his earlier taunt of calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man," and warning that if the North Koreans continue on their current path, "they won't be around much longer."