North Korea’s leader has responded to America’s use of nuclear-capable B-2 bombers in joint South Korean military drills with more angry rhetoric, saying his rocket forces are ready to attack US positions.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) news agency said on Friday that Kim signed off on the orders at a midnight meeting of top generals and “judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists in view of the prevailing situation”.
In the event of any “reckless” US provocation, North Korean forces should “mercilessly strike the US mainland… military bases in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea”, he was quoted as saying.
Yonhap news agency said on Friday that increased activities involving vehicles and troops at North Korea’s mid- and long-range missile units were detected by South Korea’s military.
Kim said “the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists in view of the prevailing situation”, according to KCNA. “Sharply increased movements of vehicles and soldiers have been detected recently at North Korea’s mid and long-range missile sites,” South Korea’s Yonhap news quoted a military source as saying.
“There is a combat duty readiness in effect at the North’s missile units since February 26 so there is a possibility they will actually fire.”
‘Intense rhetoric’: With tensions soaring on the Korean peninsula, two B-2s flew training bombing runs over South Korea on Thursday to underline US commitment to its military alliance with Seoul in the event of any aggression from the North.
Kim argued that the stealth bomber flights went beyond a simple demonstration of force and amounted to a US “ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost”.
Present at the emergency meeting were the Korean People’s Army (KPA) chief of general staff, director of operations and commander of strategic rocket operations.
Pyongyang ‘provocations’: The KPA had already put its strategic units at combat-ready status on Tuesday, and the following day it cut the last remaining military hotline with South Korea.
The bulk of the threats emanating from Pyongyang have been dismissed as bluster, and North Korea has no proven missile capability to strike the US mainland, or indeed Guam or Hawaii.
Washington has said that decision to send the B-2 bombers was part of normal exercises and not intended to provoke a reaction from North.
North Korea’s belligerent tones and actions in recent weeks have increased the danger in the region, “and we have to understand that reality”, Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, said.
N Korea ‘readies’ rockets to strike US bases
