Key moments in 2017 that brought the United States and North Korea to the brink of nuclear war
The 2017 news cycle was dominated by stories about the threat of nuclear war and escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea.
Early in the year, Pyongyang conducted several missile test-launches, including some of the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles in the regime's history. The barrage of tests demonstrated major advancements in the nation's nuclear development.
At the same time, North Korea's leader and President Trump traded insults in a tense and ongoing back-and-forth. Kim Jong Un infamously called Trump a 'dotard' and said he would reduce the U.S. to a 'pile of ash.'
President Trump took aim at Kim Jong Un by calling the dictator a 'madman' and 'rocket man,' but he also called the leader a 'pretty smart cookie' in April.
Click through the most high-profile events and insults between North Korea and Trump this year:
