'Screams of terrified Trump': North Korea responds to State of the Union address

Pyongyang warns its nuclear weapons will 'deter President and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula' after criticism of its human rights abuses

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a photograph issued by state news agency KNCA last month (Reuters)

North Korea has attacked Donald Trump after he criticised the regime’s human rights record in his State of the Union address, suggesting he is “terrified” of its power.

Pyongyang continued the heated war of words between the two nations on Sunday, claiming its nuclear capabilities would “deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula.”

In his address last week, Mr Trump hit out at the secretive state, claiming "no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea."

"We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and to our allies," the US President added.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson fired back at the President, claiming the speech was “sinister”, and talking up Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

“Trump also insisted upon the ‘maximum pressure’ against our country,” the spokesman said: “However, it is no less than the screams of Trump terrified at the power the DPRK has achieved.

“Trump even reveals his sinister intention to do something against us by relying on strength while talking about ‘American resolve’.

“Our self-reliant defence capability with the nuclear force as its backbone will, however, completely deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula."

The spokesman added: “If Trump does not get rid of his anachronistic and dogmatic way of thinking, it will only bring about the consequence of further endangering security and future of the United States.”

On Friday, Mr Trump sought to increase pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear program by consulting with allies and highlighting the human rights abuses suffered by defectors from North Korea.

The President hosted several North Korean defectors in the Oval Office, including Ji Seong-ho, who had used crutches to escape the country after a train ran over his limbs.

Days earlier, Ji raised his crutches in triumph when Mr Trump singled him out during his State of the Union address.

Mr Trump has expressed a willingness to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy, but he has also insisted the US would use military force on North Korea if needed.

Additional reporting by Associated Press