Do not try us!' Fiery Trump's stern warning to North Korea's Kim Jong

The North's ruling Kim family has ruled the impoverished, isolated country with an iron fist and pervasive personality cult

Donald Trump
I really believe that it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and to make a deal that’s good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world: Donald Trump
Agencies Seoul
2 min read Last Updated : Dec 10 2019 | 2:55 PM IST
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday, telling him that the nuclear weapons he is developing “are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger.”

“Do not underestimate us and do not try us,” Trump told North Korea as he wrapped up a visit to South Korea with a speech to the National Assembly in Seoul .

In a wide-ranging address that lodged specific accusations of chilling human rights abuses against Pyongyang, Trump used some of his toughest language yet against North Korea, calling on countries around the world to isolate Pyongyang by denying it “any form of support, supply or acceptance”.

 Trump slammed North Korea's "cruel dictatorship" and the severe political oppression inflicted by the regime in a speech to Seoul's parliament today.

"Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state," Trump said in the address.

"Those who score the highest in loyalty may live in the capital city. Those who score the lowest starve," he said in the first address to the national assembly in Seoul by a US head of state in 24 years.

The Demilitarized Zone that splits the Korean peninsula in two was, Trump said, "the line that today divides the oppressed and the free".

The North's ruling Kim family has ruled the impoverished, isolated country with an iron fist and pervasive personality cult for three generations, showing no tolerance for political dissent.

The regime has for decades been criticised for a range of rights abuses including torture, rape and execution of perceived critics or those trying to flee the country.

It is also known to operate multiple prison camps across the country where hundreds of thousands languish under forced labour and starvation.

Trump noted many cases of such abuses, including "a nine-year-old boy... imprisoned for ten years because his grandfather was accused of treason."

"The horror of life in North Korea is so complete, that citizens pay bribes to government officials to have themselves exported abroad as slaves," he said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Donald Trump

First Published: Nov 08 2017 | 11:03 AM IST

Next Story