Nuclear-armed North Korea unleashed a raft of insults and threats against the U.S. and its leader on Tuesday, calling Donald Trump "dolt-like" and comparing recent reports of a possible "bloody nose" limited strike against Pyongyang to the run-up to the Iraq War.
Trump has in recent days highlighted North Korea's human rights abuses on the global stage — inviting defectors to the White House — while also targeting the North's missile and nuclear programs. He also sent Vice President Mike Pence, who arrived in Japan late Tuesday, to the region for the Olympics in South Korea to ensure that Pyongyang does not "hijack" the games.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's ruling party newspaper, blasted Trump over what it said was an "intolerable politically motivated provocation and tyrannical blackmail" against the country amid the White House's focus on human rights and its stance that military action to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs remains an option.