North Korea Warns of Nuclear Showdown,Calls Pence ‘Political Dummy’

NORTH Korea has blasted US Vice President Mike Pence as a “political dummy” and warned of a possible “nuclear-to-nuclear showdown” between Pyongyang and Washington.

Choe Son Hui, a vice-minister in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, said if the US continued on its current path, she would suggest to North Korea‘s leadership that they reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“If he is Vice President of ‘single superpower’ as is in name, it will be proper for him to know even a little bit about the current state of global affairs and to sense to a certain degree the trends in dialogue and the climate of detente.

“We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.”

The Pyongyang official was referring to Mr Pence’s comments on Monday where he said the hermit kingdom could end up like Libya if it fails to make a nuclear deal with the President.

He stated: “There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn’t make a deal.”

Choe called Pence a “political dummy” for comparing Libya to North Korea. She said that Libya’s nuclear program was in its early stages when it came to the negotiating table, while North Korea has spent years developing its nuclear weapons.

“As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice president,” she said.

Pence has been vocal critic of North Korea and its human rights abuses.

While representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this year, he brought along the father of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who was imprisoned in North Korea and died shortly after his return to the United States in a vegetative state. At the opening ceremony, he chose to ignore Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, when sitting feet away from her.

Analysts believe that Choe, a diplomat who focuses on the US-North Korea relationship, is a rising star in North Korea’s Foreign Ministry. She was reportedly promoted to vice minister earlier this year.