North Korea on November 11 slammed what it called U.S. President Donald Trump's "warmonger" Asia tour, saying it would only accelerate Pyongyang's push for a full-fledged nuclear deterrent.
Trump has tried to rally support to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions during his trip, urging regional powers to stand united against the North's government.
In the first comments on Trump's visit by a North Korean official, a Pyongyang Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the state-run KCNA news agency that it was a "warmonger's visit for confrontation to rid [North Korea] of its self-defensive nuclear deterrence."
In a speech to the South Korean parliament on November 8, Trump warned Pyongyang not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions.
But in its November 11 statement, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said Trump's warnings "can never frighten us or put a stop to our advance," but rather "pushes us to speed up the efforts to accomplish the great cause of completing the state nuclear force."