North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has downplayed U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks at the UN General Assembly, comparing his threat to destroy North Korea to "the sound of a dog barking."
 
Ri didn't respond to questions by reporters waiting for his arrival at JFK International Airport on Wednesday to attend the UN General Assembly. But in front of his hotel, he issued Pyongyang's first response to Trump's threat a day earlier to "totally destroy" North Korea if it poses a threat to the U.S. or its allies.
 
The top diplomat said that if Trump was thinking he could scare the North with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream, citing a North Korean proverb that a procession moves even if dogs bark. 
 
Ri also said that he feels sorry for Trump's aides, when asked to comment on "Rocket Man," Trump's new nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
 
The North Korean foreign minister is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday and meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday. He will reportedly depart the U.S. early next week.