The North Korean army said Thursday it had final approval to launch “merciless” military strikes on the United States, involving the possible use of “cutting-edge” nuclear weapons.
In a statement published by the official KCNA news agency, the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) said it was formally informing Washington that reckless US threats would be “smashed by… cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means”.
“The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified,” the statement said.
North Korea had threatened a “pre-emptive” nuclear strike against the United States a month ago, and last week the supreme army command ordered its strategic rocket units to combat status for strikes on the US mainland and US bases in Guam and Hawaii.
“The moment of explosion is approaching fast,” Thursday’s statement said, adding that a war could break out on the Korean peninsula “today or tomorrow”.
“In view of this situation, the KPA General Staff in charge of all operations will take powerful practical military counteractions in succession,” it said.
Despite a successful long-range rocket launch in December, most experts believe North Korea is years from developing a genuine inter-continental ballistic missile that could strike the mainland United States.
Hawaii and Guam would also be outside the range of its medium-range missiles, which would be capable, however, of striking US bases in South Korea and Japan.
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4 Responses
This could be very bad for the USA, but not the way you might first think. The North Koreans will make a military gesture that is visible, noisy but probably harmless. Obama not wanting to bother with another war, and aware that no one in the USA likes North Korea, will promptly obliterate North Korea (leaving the South Koreans to clen up the mess). He then can safely remove most American troops from East Asia (lower costs), and be acclaimed a hero since he’ll be the president who known how to efficiently fight and win a war. With a “Mission Accomplished” that really is, he’ll be free to push its highly misguided domestic agenda.
Common Akuperma…is there no topic about which you won’t pretend to be an expert? I don’t think anyone outside of the inner milirtary/intelligence has a clue how to deal with the North Koreans.
Akuperma: Brilliant analysis. I will be shocked if this does not play out exactly as you predict.
Obliterating North Korea will be very simple. While the South Koreans and Japanese will object, once the North Koreans get obnoxious enough, a few bombers can nuke them into the stone age. American public opinion will not object.
Obama does not want to be tied down to a war, and doesn’t want to be a wimp, so obliterating North Korea is a “win win” situation. Bush or McCain or Romney might not have minded sending a few hundred thousands troops for a second Korean War, but Obama doesn’t want the bother and cost.
For the above reason, it’s quite likely the North Koreans are bluffing as they have regularly in the past. But if not…