North Korea accused Donald Trump of being a “war merchant” for abusing the arms trade for “world domination”.
Mr Trump requires “serious attention” after threatening the “total destruction” of North Korea, the hermit nation says.
Through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the rogue nation claimed the Korean peninsula is on the “brink of war” because of Mr Trump’s “intent to open up markets for military hardware”.
It comes after Kim Jong-un’s regime sent a chilling warning shot to the US President, telling him the “US mainland will be reduced to ashes”.
In the statement released on Sunday, KCNA said: “The US is the war merchant and strangler of peace which gives rise to dispute and conflicts around the world in order to draw water to its mill regardless of the existence of mankind.
“It is working hard to fatten its munitions monopolies and create the imbalance of force and the military confrontation in certain regions through arms sales and lead them to physical conflict. And then, it attempts to send its armed forces under the veil of “peace defender” and occupy them.”
It adds: “What merits serious attention is that war maniac Trump betrayed his intention to make money through the tension on the peninsula reaching an extreme phase.
“Trump called for the total destruction of our state and people at the UN arena and continues to bring nuclear strategic assets into South Korea and its vicinity, pushing the situation on the peninsula to the brink of war.”
General Barry McCaffrey – who is known for his calculated comments – shocked a television interviewer when he revealed a “war is scheduled” with North Korea.
The retired general said the US would be at war with the rogue state “by next summer” in an NBC interview.
General McCaffrey said: “The problem is we’ve got so many crises going on now, potentially, that he’s overloading the diplomatic effort, as well as the US armed forces’ ability to deal with it.
“I don’t want us to take our eye off North Korea.
“The current language out of the administration, that lack of a diplomatic and serious engagement strategy, in my view, has us sliding toward war by next summer.
“This war is on schedule under this administration.”