If Washington were to use its armed forces against North Korea, it would be a "horrible thing" for the U.S., a senior DPRK army official warned on Wednesday in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The comments, from Pak Jong Chon, the chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), appeared to be a response to remarks made one day earlier by President Donald Trump that he would still be willing — despite a "really good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — to use military force against the North if necessary.