North Korea was recently hit with a new swathe of punishing sanctions because of Pyongyang’s persistently aggressive rhetoric against the US and its allies.
And as World War 3 concerns continue to increase, Mr Kyl said Donald Trump’s decision to declare North Korea a “sponsor of terror” only confirms the true nature of Kim Jong-un’s strategy.
He said: “As long as they are doing what they are doing, you might as well call it what it is. It’s terrorism.
“We should not try to pretty it up in an effort to bring them to the bargaining table.”
Speaking to Fox Business, the former Arizona Senator said the decision to name North Korea a sponsor for terrorism – which leads to further sanctions on the already crippled rogue state – could help pressure Kim Jong-un to tone down his rhetoric.
Mr Kyl continued: “What they are hoping to do is to recreate an opportunity where there are enough bad things happening to North Korea that they will finally come to the table and negotiate from a legitimate position.
“Then we can talk about, perhaps, removing some of the sanctions. Perhaps removing them from the list of terror-sponsor states if, in fact, they change their behaviour.”
North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric against the United States and its allies has sparked fears of World War 3 across the globe.
Over the summer, Pyongyang undertook several missile tests and repeatedly threatened the US territory of Guam and Japan.
The designation of Kim Jong-un’s regime will allow the US to impose more sanctions which will be announced on later on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump said: “In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil.
He added that North Korea, who was removed from the list in 2008 under then-President George W Bush, should have been re-listed “a long time ago”.