North Korea Calls US National Security Advisor John Bolton ‘War Maniac’

Seoul, May 27: North Korea sharply criticized US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Monday, calling him a "war maniac" and a "security destruction advisor" as he accused Pyongyang of violating UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions following the Asian country's tests of short-range missiles. A spokesperson for the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "When it comes to UNSC resolutions, as we have declared repeatedly before, they are an outrageous total denial of our right to survival and development. Never once have we acknowledged them or been confined by them."

"Bolton said our regular military drills violated UNSC resolutions, which is beyond stupid." In the statement released by North Korea's official news agency KCNA, the spokesman called Bolton a "defective human product" after the latter told reporters on Saturday that there was "no doubt" that the missile tests carried out on May 4 and 9 were in violation of UNSC resolutions. NSA Ajit Doval Speaks to American Counterpart John Bolton on India-Pakistan Tensions, Security Situation Post Pulwama Attack.

"It is no coincidence that there are criticisms of Bolton as a war maniac whispering war into the ears of the President although he avoided military service saying he did not want to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy. "Such a defective human product must go away as soon as possible," the North Korean spokesman was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

Until now, both South Korea and the US have downplayed the launches, which were supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang has maintained that the launches were part of its regular military exercises and avoided using the term "missiles" for the weapons. Expert analyses, however, point towards the projectiles that were launched being short-range ballistic missiles.

"Our military exercises did not aim at anybody, nor did it put anybody in danger, but Bolton surely has a different mindset from ordinary people in insisting that they are a violation of the resolutions," said the spokesman.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged in a press conference in Tokyo that members of his team in the White House believed that the ballistic missile tests by Pyongyang "could have been a violation" of UN resolutions, although he disagreed.

"Very importantly, there has been no nuclear testing for two years," Trump said. He added that he was in "no rush at all" to reach an agreement with North Korea and that the two sides had achieved much since they initiated bilateral contacts.

The talks between Washington and Pyongyang concerning the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization have been stalled since the failed summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi on February 28.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2019 06:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).