North Korea's horror warning to the US as Kim's sister unveils plans to ramp up military
North Korea has accused the United States of plunging the Korean Peninsula into a 'dangerous vortex' with persistent military drills with its regional partners.
Kim Jong-un's powerful sister has warned North Korea will keep on pursuing its "overwhelming" military buildup citing US military drills with South Korea as a major issue.
Kim Yo Jong issued a huge warning to the United States after accusing Washington and its allies of plunging "[inter-Korean relations] deeper into a dangerous vortex."
The top government advisor said tensions had become "like a kindled detonating fuse" because of the military exercises the US has been regularly conducting with partners such as South Korea and Japan.
In a speech on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong said: "Entering this year, the US has staged more than 80 rounds of military drills with its lackeys and those individually staged by the ROK puppets total more than 60.
"This evidently shows who the arch criminals straining the regional situation are."
"We will continue to build up our overwhelming and most powerful military muscle to defend our sovereignty and security and regional peace."
She ominously added: "No one can break our determination."
The United States has maintained a military presence across South Korea since the 1950s in a bid to deter Pyongyang from kickstarting a potential repeat of the Korean War.
An estimated 28,500 American military personnel are currently deployed to the Korean Peninsula.
Geopolitical analysts for the past year have suggested Kim Jong-un might seek to launch a limited conflict to secure considerable concessions for the United States as the country prepares for the presidential election.
Kim Yo Jong's warning came less than 24 hours after her brother supervised salvo launches of the country’s “super-large” multiple rocket launchers that simulated a nuclear counterattack against enemy targets
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Analysts have said the rogue country’s blur the boundary between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery.
Pyongyang described some of these systems, including the 600mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads.
Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction, saying that the multiple rocket launchers were as accurate as a “sniper’s rifle.”
He said the drill was crucial for “preparing our nuclear force to be able to rapidly and correctly carry out their important mission of deterring a war and taking the initiative in a war in any time and any sudden situation.”
The comments reflected North Korea’s escalatory nuclear doctrine, which authorises the military to launch preemptive nuclear strikes against enemies if it perceives the leadership as under threat.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons from Monday’s launches flew about 300 kilometres before crashing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
