During the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, North Korea threatened their neighbor to the south, South Korea with "final destruction," according to a Reuters report.
"As the saying goes, a new-born puppy knows no fear of a tiger. South Korea's erratic behaviour [sic] would only herald its final destruction," North Korean diplomat Jon Yong Ryong told the meeting, reported Reuters.
However, Jon said this without directly referring to the nuclear test. Jon said North Korea had recently taken a "resolute step for self-defense", which he described as "strong counter-actions to a foreign aggressor", stated Reuters.
Jon then called out the United States of America.
"If the U.S. takes a hostile approach toward the DPRK to the last, rendering the situation complicated, it (North Korea) will be left with no option but to take the second and third stronger steps in succession," he said, without elaborating, reported Reuters.
Other nations including France, Germany, Britain and South Korea quickly responded to Jon's comments, according to Reuters. Britain's ambassador, Joanne Adamson called the comments "completely inappropriate" and noted that the discussion with North Korea appeared headed in the wrong direction. It cannot be allowed that we have expressions which refer to the possible destruction of U.N. member states," she said.
Baffled Spanish Ambassador Javier Gil Catalina said the threat was prohibited by the United Nations. "In the 30 years of my career I've never heard anything like it and it seems to me that we are not speaking about something that is even admissible, we are speaking about a threat of the use of force that is prohibited by Article 2.4 of the United Nations charter," Catalina said, Reuters reports.
As for the U.S., Ambassador Laura Kennedy said she found North Korea's threat "profoundly disturbing" according to Reuters, and later tweeted that it was "offensive."
However, North Korean diplomats accused the U.N. of double standards, explaining that the U.S. had conducted the most nuclear tests and satellite launches in history.
He described the U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea as "a breach of international law and the height of double standards" reported Reuters.
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