WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is pushing back on North Korea’s claim that President Donald Trump’s recent words amount to a declaration of war.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the U.S. hasn’t “declared war” on North Korea.
The Trump administration also clarified Monday that it is not seeking to overthrow North Korea’s government after the president tweeted that Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer.”
Pyongyang interpreted that tweet as a declaration of war.
Trump said in a speech last week to the U.N. General Assembly that if the U.S. is forced to defend itself against North Korea, “we will have no choice but to totally destroy” the country.
The U.S. and North Korea agreed to an armistice after the 1950-1953 Korean War, not a peace treaty. Because of that, they are still technically at war.
