SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� North Korea insulted U.S. President Donald Trump again on Monday, calling him a 鈥渉eedless and erratic old man鈥� after he tweeted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wouldn鈥檛 want to abandon a special relationship between the two leaders and affect the American presidential election by resuming hostile acts.
A senior North Korean official, former nuclear negotiator Kim Yong Chol, said in a statement that his country wouldn鈥檛 cave in to U.S. pressure because it has nothing to lose and accused the Trump administration of attempting to buy time ahead of an end-of-year deadline set by Kim Jong Un for Washington to salvage nuclear talks.
In a separate statement, former Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong said Trump鈥檚 comments were a 鈥渃orroboration that he feels fear鈥� about what North Korea might do when Kim鈥檚 deadline expires and warned Trump to think twice if he wants to avoid 鈥渂igger catastrophic consequences.”
On Sunday, Trump tweeted: 鈥淜im Jong Un is too smart and has far too much to lose, everything actually, if he acts in a hostile way … North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, has tremendous economic potential, but it must denuclearize as promised.鈥�
He was referring to a vague statement issued by the two leaders during their first summit in Singapore in June last year that called for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when or how it would occur.
Trump added that Kim 鈥渄oes not want to void his special relationship with the President of the United States or interfere with the U.S. Presidential Election in November.鈥�
Kim Yong Chol said Trump鈥檚 tweets clearly show that he is an irritated old man 鈥渂ereft of patience.鈥�
鈥淎s (Trump) is such a heedless and erratic old man, the time when we cannot but call him a 鈥榙otard鈥� again may come,鈥� Kim Yong Chol said.
鈥淭rump has too many things that he does not know about (North Korea). We have nothing more to lose. Though the U.S. may take away anything more from us, it can never remove the strong sense of self-respect, might and resentment against the U.S. from us.鈥�
Kim Yong Chol traveled to Washington and met with the U.S. president twice last year while setting up the summits with Kim Jong Un.
In his statement, Ri, currently a vice chairman of the ruling Workers鈥� Party鈥檚 Central Committee, said Trump would be well advised to stop using 鈥渁busive language鈥� that may offend Kim.
鈥淭rump might be in great jitters but he had better accept the status quo that as he sowed, so he should reap, and think twice if he does not want to see bigger catastrophic consequences,鈥� Ri said.
鈥淥ur final judgment and decision which will soon be made at the end of this year are to be done by the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, and he has neither clarified any stand yet nor made any ironic and irritating expressions toward the other party as done by someone,鈥� Ri added, referring to Kim by one of his government titles.
Nuclear negotiations faltered after a February meeting between Trump and Kim in Vietnam broke down when the U.S. side rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
Kim has said North Korea will seek a 鈥渘ew way鈥� if the U.S. maintains its sanctions and pressure, and issued the deadline for the Trump administration to offer mutually acceptable terms for a deal.
Trump and Kim met for a third time in June at the border between the two Koreas and agreed to resume talks. But an October working-level meeting in Sweden broke down over what the North Koreans described as the Americans鈥� 鈥渙ld stance and attitude.鈥�
Kim Yong Chol鈥檚 statement came days after North Korea鈥檚 first vice foreign minister, Choe Sun Hui, issued a similar threat to resume insulting Trump after he spoke during a NATO summit in London of possible military action toward the North and revived his 鈥渞ocket man鈥� nickname for Kim Jong Un.
In 2017, Trump and Kim traded threats of destruction as North Korea carried out a slew of high-profile weapons tests aimed at acquiring an ability to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland. Trump said he would rain 鈥渇ire and fury鈥� on North Korea and derided Kim as 鈥渓ittle rocket man,鈥� while Kim questioned Trump鈥檚 sanity and said he would 鈥渢ame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire.鈥�
The two leaders avoided such words and developed better relations after North Korea entered nuclear negotiations with the U.S. last year. Trump even said he and Kim 鈥渇ell in love,鈥� but his comments on Kim have become sharper in recent weeks amid the standoff in nuclear negotiations.
North Korea in recent weeks has said it is unwilling to continue rewarding Trump with meetings and summits he could chalk up as foreign policy wins unless it gets something substantial in return. The North’s stance has raised doubts about whether Kim will ever voluntarily give away a nuclear arsenal he may see as his biggest guarantee of survival.
On Sunday, North Korea鈥檚 Academy of National Defense said a 鈥渧ery important test鈥� was conducted at a long-range rocket facility on the country鈥檚 western coast, touching off speculation that the North could have tested a new rocket engine for either a satellite-launch vehicle or a solid-fuel intercontinental-range missile.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
