North Korean general says Trump is 'bereft of reason'


The war of words between President Trump and North Korea escalated on Wednesday, when a North Korean general called Trump's promise of "fire and fury" if the country continued to threaten the U.S. with nuclear weapons a "load of nonsense."
State-run news agency KCNA aired a statement by Gen. Kim Rak Gyom, who said "sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on him." He then attacked Trump for going on what the president calls a "working vacation" at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, accusing him of playing golf while "failing to grasp the ongoing grave situation."
The general also repeated North Korea's threat to fire missiles at Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, saying the country is "seriously examining the plan for an enveloping strike at Guam" by using intermediate-range ballistic rockets. He said the plan will be completed by mid-August and sent to the commander-in-chief of North Korea's nuclear force, with the military waiting for his orders.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstream
In The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
-
Sudoku hard: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Crossword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland