Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Kim Jong Un, the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), "wants to end the world" but urged the US to show restraint after the DPRK's latest missile test, according to Reuters.
Duterte made the remarks at a press conference after a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila on Saturday.
"The guy (Kim) simply wants to end the world. That is why he is very happy. He is always smiling," The Philippine leader said. "But he really wants to finish everything and he wants to drag us all down."
ASEAN leaders link arms during the opening ceremony of the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines on April 29, 2017. /VCG Photo
Duterte, who is the current ASEAN chairman, said Southeast Asia is extremely worried about tensions between the US and the DPRK, stressing that the region would "suffer immensely" if a war broke out.
He added that he would caution US President Donald Trump not to allow the situation to spiral out of control.
The DPRK test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday. US and South Korean officials said the test appeared to have failed.
At a United Nations Security Council ministerial level meeting on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated the need to "stay committed to the goal of denuclearization" on the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addresses the UN Security Council in New York, the US on April 28, 2017. /VCG Photo
Denuclearization is the basic precondition for long-term peace and stability on the Peninsula and "what we must accomplish to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime," he said.
"Second, all parties should comprehensively understand and fully implement DPRK-related Security Council resolutions," he said.
Wang called for a peaceful resolution to the issue when talking with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.
US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is pictured about 60 kilometers south of Tsushima Island in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture on April 29, 2017. /VCG Photo
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