North Korea Latest: War With US Could Be Deadliest Ever, Germany Says

World War III would be 'devastating'.

The “fire and fury” of a war between North Korea and the US could produce the world’s deadliest conflict yet, Germany’s foreign minister has said.

Sigmar Gabriel said any war involving the secretive dictatorship would be “devastating”.

“A war on the Korean Peninsula will be devastating. In the worst-case scenario, it could result in more victims than World War II,” Gabriel told local newspaper Aachener Zeitung on Thursday via a translation by Tass news agency.

A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile in an undated photo released on Thursday
A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile in an undated photo released on Thursday
KCNA KCNA / Reuters

Gabriel added that North Korean despot Kim Jong-Un “is threatening the entire region by holding his finger on the red button.”

The prospect of conflict has become terrifyingly real as North Korea continues high-stakes missile tests, while US President Donald Trump ramps up his rhetoric over the issue.

A launch on Tuesday saw a North Korean rocket fly over the north of Japan, prompting warnings to citizens to “take cover”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a target-striking contest of the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army in this undated photo released last month
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a target-striking contest of the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army in this undated photo released last month
KCNA KCNA / Reuters

A statement attributed to Jong-Un described that test as a trial for a possible offensive against the US Pacific territory of Guam.

But it puzzled experts as to its true purpose. The North has long been testing medium and long-range ballistic missiles capable, in theory, of carrying nuclear warheads.

Trump responded in a furious tweet, saying US diplomacy with the dictatorship was fruitless. “Talking is not the answer,” he wrote.

Asked by reporters this week for his response to the latest missile test, Trump said ominously: “We’ll see.”

Donald Trump has said 'talking is not the answer' to the North Korean problem
Donald Trump has said 'talking is not the answer' to the North Korean problem
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Trump previously warned North Korea it faced “fire and fury” if it continued to escalate its military threats.

It came after The Washington Post published extracts from a Defence Intelligence Agency report which said North Korea was successfully producing nuclear missiles.

Nearly 60 million people lost their lives in the Second World War, which raged between 1939 and 1945. That was around three percent of the entire global populace at the time.

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