North Korea - US Relations: Kim Jong Un Regime Insults Joe Biden As Favor To Trump? President Responds On Twitter

North Korean state-run media Friday called former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden "a rabid dog" who needs to be put down. The KCNA news agency said that the 76-year-old is in "the final stage of dementia" and that "time has come for him to depart his life."

The remarks were not necessarily in response to anything specific but Biden has frequently criticized North Korea and President Trump's controversial friendship with its leader Kim Jong Un. The insults could also be a way for North Korea to gain favor with Trump, as negotiations continue over the country's nuclear program. Biden is one of the Democratic frontrunners challenging Trump for the presidency.

Earlier this year, North Korea called Biden an "imbecile."

Biden shot back at the remarks, saying that the insults from Pyongyang are a "badge of honor." He also said that there would be "no love letters to a Biden administration." Trump and Kim Jong Un have in the past exchanged "beautiful" letters.

Trump responded to the North Korea comments with a Twitter posting that included a rebuttal but also his own nickname for Biden. The comment comes as Trump faces a House impeachment inquiry over his administration's efforts to pressure a foreign power to launch probes against Biden.

Although Trump has grown closer to North Korea's top leader, his administration wants its neighbor to the south, South Korea, to pay more for its defense. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday that "South Korea is a wealthy country and should pay more" to maintain the U.S. presence of 28,500 troops in the country. One South Korean lawmaker last week claimed that the U.S. government is asking for $5 billion a year.

The U.S. and South Korea had planned joint military exercises in the coming weeks, which has angered North Korea, as they feel it is preparation for an invasion. On Sunday, Esper said that the U.S. would postpone the exercises "as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace."

South Korea and North Korea are still technically at war with one another, as the Korean War ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty.