North Korea Threatens South Korea and the United States with Nuclear Attack
On the eve of the launch of South Korea and the United States’ largest joint military exercise, North Korea called the drills a provocative act and threatened the two countries with a nuclear attack. Washington has responded to this threat with composure.
The communist regime of North Korea has intensified its tone toward its southern neighbor as joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea are about to begin.
North Korea’s National Defense Commission accused the United States on Monday (March 7 / Esfand 17) of conducting “the most blatant nuclear war exercises” and preparing an attack on North Korea.
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Pyongyang has issued a statement threatening to “attack the enemy with nuclear weapons.”
The statement also stated that in addition to positions on South Korean soil, certain locations in the United States are also targets, and North Korea “only needs to press a button to turn all the bases of the provocateurs into a sea of fire and ashes.”
North Korea’s Defense Ministry also threatened that if the slightest sign of an attack from the enemy is detected, “the North Korean army and people will seize this opportunity and fulfill the greatest desire of the Korean people by conducting a sacred war of justice for the unification of North and South Korea.”
Kim Jong-un, leader of the North Korean regime
Despite North Korea’s harsh threats, South Korea and the United States have begun their joint multi-week military exercises, which are held annually in spring.
The latest joint South Korean-American exercise includes a two-month ground drill called “Foal Eagle” and a 12-day command exercise called “Key Resolve.”
The joint command of the exercise, while rejecting North Korea’s accusations, stated that the purpose of the exercise is not to prepare for an attack on North Korea and that this drill is “non-provocative in nature.”
According to media reports, approximately 17,000 American soldiers and 300,000 South Korean soldiers are participating in the exercise. Joint military drills between the two countries have been a source of tension in recent years.
Read more: UN Security Council Approves New Sanctions Against North Korea
This is not the first time North Korea has threatened the two countries with a nuclear attack. Three years ago, Pyongyang also threatened the United States, saying it would target the country with an atomic attack.
Experts, however, are skeptical that North Korea possesses the capabilities and capacity to carry out such an attack.
Washington has also responded to these threats with composure. According to a U.S. Defense Department official, North Korea has not yet demonstrated that it can equip an intercontinental missile with a nuclear warhead.
He added: “U.S. forces, moreover, have the necessary readiness to repel such attacks if needed.”
