North Korea was the focus of Donald Trump’s debut speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the President threatened to “totally destroy” the hermit nation if it continued with its nuclear weapons programme.
Kim Jong-un sparked fears of a breakout of World War 3 when he labelled his own threat to target the US territory of Guam with an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The despot leader and US President have exchanged terrifying messages as North Korea ramped up its weapons programme – even firing two test missiles over US ally Japan.
Tension, however, almost boiled over during Mr Trump’s maiden UN address, on Thursday.
Speaking to talkRADIO, Dr Chris Ogen, a senior lecturer in Asian security, warned it may have to be Donald Trump the world watches instead of his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un.
Dr Ogen said: “I still think the greatest unknown is probably really the American leader and whether he might reach some kind of breaking point where he thinks ‘there’s no way I can win this without doing it militarily’.
“He wants to win, he doesn’t want to lose. He wants to be seen as successful and I think he’s up against an enemy that really will just rile him and rile him.”
The expert added he believes” even though it might seem as through, for us, it’s not a very good end game to wipe out North Korea, for him mentally and egotistically that might be something he desires.”
Dr Ogen also warned North Korea will keep responding to the US as the hermit nation attempts to establish themselves as a global power for their domestic audience.
“They have to show that they still think they have some kind of power,” he concluded.
Responding to Mr Trump’s UN speech, North Korea foreign minister delivered an equally fiery message to the President.
Speaking outside the UN building in New York, Ri Yong Ho compared Mr Trump to a “barking dog”, adding he “felt sorry” for his advisers.
Mr Ri told reporters: “If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that’s really a dog dream.”