Skip to main content

North Korea is Ready to Use Nuclear Weapons at Any Time

Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, has ordered his country to be ready to use its nuclear weapons at any time and to turn its military posture to "pre-emptive attack" mode in the face of growing threats from its enemies, state media said on Friday.


The comments, carried by the North's official KCNA news agency, marked a further escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula after the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday imposed harsh new sanctions against the isolated state for its nuclear program.

Kim made the comments as he supervised military exercises involving newly developed rocket launchers, KCNA reported. It did not mention the date of the drills but said the new weapons had South Korea within range.

South Korea's defense ministry said on Thursday North Korea launched several projectiles off its coast into the sea up to 150 kilometers (90 miles) away, an apparent response to the U.N. sanctions.

Kim said North Korea should "bolster up (its) nuclear force both in quality and quantity" and stressed "the need to get the nuclear warheads deployed for national defense always on standby so as to be fired any moment," KCNA quoted him as saying.

"Now is the time for us to convert our mode of military counteraction toward the enemies into an preemptive attack one

North Korea has previously threatened pre-emptive attacks on its enemies including South Korea, Japan and the United States. Military experts doubt it has yet developed the capability to fire a long-range missile with a miniaturized warhead to deliver a nuclear weapon as far as the United States.

"We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments," said Commander Bill Urban, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman, responding to the report.

POSSIBLE ENGINE TEST EYED

A U.S.-based think tank said recent commercial satellite imagery showed new activity at North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station that could be preparations for a rocket-engine test.

Johns Hopkins University's 38 North project, which monitors North Korea, said an image from Feb. 21 showed an unusual convoy of trucks near the vertical engine test stand.

"One possibility is that these vehicles are returning from a delivery of supplies, fuel, or even engine components for testing to the stand," the report said.

North Korea had taken steps at Sohae in past months to better conceal preparations for space launches and engine tests, making identifying preparations for launches using commercial satellite images more difficult, 38 North said.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Thursday repeated a stern warning against the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions and said should would work to "end tyranny" by the North's leader.

Last month, Seoul suspended the operation of a jointly run factory project with North Korea that had been the rivals' last remaining venue for regular interaction.

Source : Reuters
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nigerian army Claims the Second Rescue of Chibok Girl

A second schoolgirl that was seized in the Nigerian town of Chibok has been found, the army says. But a spokesman for the Chibok girls' parents has cast doubt on the claims, saying that the girl's name is not on the families' list of those missing. An army spokesman said Serah Luka was among a group of 97 women and children rescued by troops in the north-east. Islamist militant group Boko Haram has abducted thousands of other girls in recent years, rights groups estimate. This comes two days after the rescue of the first Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki. The army has previously given misleading statements about the rescue of the Chibok girls - in its initial statement after Ms Nkeki was found, it used a wrong name. In all, 218 girls remain missing after their abduction by the Boko Haram Islamist group from Chibok secondary school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014. Ms Nkeki told a Chibok community leader that six of the kidnapped girls had died, but...
Post a Comment
Read more

Obama administration Issues Transgender Access to School Bathrooms

The issue of directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity is being discussed by the Obama administration on Friday. A joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice will go out to schools on Friday with guidelines to ensure that "transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment," the Obama administration said on Thursday. The announcement comes amid heated debate over transgender rights in schools and public life, which includes a legal standoff between the administration and North Carolina over its controversial House Bill 2. The guidance goes beyond the bathroom issue, touching upon privacy rights, education records and sex-segregated athletics, all but guaranteeing transgender students the right to identify in school as they choose. "There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Will Ferrell and His Bird Collectian As "The Birds are for God"

An acclaimed actor and comedic genius like Will Ferrell is incredibly pleased to spend some valued time with his incredibly expensive bird collection, according to his good friend Adam McKay. McKay, who has directed Ferrell in films like "Anchorman" and "Step Brothers," told HuffPost Live on Monday that Ferrell's home is brimming with birds of all kinds, and Ferrell himself is a bit of a bird whisperer. "He has giant cages on his property filled with different tropical birds, and these are the kind of birds that will bite you, that you have to be careful with, but when it's him, they just fly right to his arm," McKay said. "Often times if you're at his house ... he has, like, a cockatiel on his shoulder for long stretches." An affinity for birds isn't exactly surprising, but what will shock you is the enormous monetary value of Ferrell's flock. "He had to have his bird collection insured, and I think it's wor...
Post a Comment
Read more