N. Korea slams Bolton, calls him ‘war maniac’

Pyongyang, May 27 (IANS) North Korea sharply criticized US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Monday, calling him a "war maniac" and a "security destruction advisor" that should be gone as early as possible.

A spokesperson for the North's Foreign Ministry unleashed the vituperation, bristling at Bolton's denunciation of Pyongyang's recent missile launches as a violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"When it comes to UNSC resolutions, as we have declared repeatedly before, they are an outrageous total denial of our right to survival and development. Never once have we acknowledged them or been confined by them," the spokesperson said.

On Saturday, Bolton told the media in Tokyo that there was "no doubt" that the North violated UNSC resolutions when it launched short-range missiles earlier this month. He also characterized the missiles as ballistic missiles.

"Our military exercises did not aim at anybody, nor did it put anybody in danger, but Bolton surely has a different mindset from ordinary people in insisting that they are a violation of the resolutions," the North Korean spokesperson said.

The North also said Bolton has long been known as a "war maniac" and that it would be right to call him a "security destruction advisor" working to destroy peace and security, rather than a security advisor trying to guarantee security.

On May 9, North Korea fired off short-range missiles which came less than a week after Pyongyang flew a barrage of projectiles into the East Sea.

North Korea is under multiple UNSC resolutions that ban its use of ballistic missile technology.