North Korean is raising the level of its anti-American rhetoric, threatening to cancel its decades-old armistice and launch a nuclear strike while accusing the United States of using military drills in South Korea to launch a nuclear war.
The cease fire between Korea and America in 1953 ended the three-year Korean War, and if dissolved could lead to a serious test of wills for the Obama White House.
“Since the United States is about to ignite a nuclear war, we will be exercising our right to pre-emptive nuclear attack against the headquarters of the aggressor in order to protect our supreme interest,” said North Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson in a statement issued by the official KCNA news agency.
The unidentified spokesperson added that North Korea would “entitled to take military action” effective March 11, when U.S.-South Korea military drills move into a full scale phase, as it had declared the armistice invalid.
In response, South Korea issued a rare warning of its own on Wednesday, saying it would strike back at North Korea, targeting its leadership, if Pyongyang carried out any attack.
The United States and South Korea are involved in conducting annual military exercises, which are expected to continue as scheduled until the end of April. Officials of both countries are monitoring North Korea for signs that nation’s own military drills might suddenly become more than routine exercises.
South Korean defense ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok told reporters Thursday, “It is unusual that the North conducts military exercise at the state level, and the North is currently conducting various drills on land, at sea and in the air.
“We are therefore watching the North’s activities and stepping up readiness under the assumption that these drills can lead to provocation at any time.”
(aruzsheva)
North Korea has been No. 1 on Open Doors’ World Watch List for the past 11 years. No where else in the world is the persecution of Christians so intense. Even the possession of the Bible is enough to be killed or sent to a labor camp for life with your family.
The 200,000 to 400,000 Christians in North Korea have to profess their faith in secret. Approximately 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live, work and ultimately die in one of the horrible concentration camps.
A refugee from North Korea recently stated: “there is no religious freedom whatsoever in North Korea. People are simply killed if they believe in Jesus. Kim Jong-Un is a god and there cannot be any god besides him. Yes, there are church services in North Korea, but only when foreigners are present. The state calls up some locals to be present. There is no freedom of religion, speech or press in North Korea.”
After the recent escalation in its rhetoric, the NK may have exhausted all the tricks it has in its bullying tactics.
It seems it is likely to face a situation where it would lose face when it is ignored by all others.
The international community should not resume or even consider to resume any talks with NK until it backs down by itself totally and completely.
China should reduce its trade and particularly aid with NK each time the NK plays bully, to make NK’s life more difficulty to send signals that its wayward bully will not work in its own interests but only the contrary.