North Korea Puts Nuclear Weapons On Standby

Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, ordered the nuclear weapons of his country to be made ready for use, according to the official state news agency of the country. The Korean Central News Agency indicated that Kim said the military will be ready to conduct pre-emptive attacks since the current situation is already very precarious.

The threats were part of the regular propaganda effort of the reclusive nation to show its strength amid what it considers as efforts of its enemies to overthrow its leaders. It also comes after stricter sanctions were agreed upon by the UN Security Council due to the recent long-range rocket launch and nuclear test of the North. It also comes before joint war games by the United States and South Korea, which the North considers as preparations for an invasion.

While threats of a nuclear war were expressed by North Korea in the past, it remain s uncertain how advanced the nuclear program of the country really us. Pyongyang is believed to have a number of atomic bombs, but it is uncertain whether the country has the capability of shrinking a warhead and mounting it on a missile.

A dispatch from the North indicated that the only way for the country to defend its sovereignty and right to exist in the current extreme situation is to increase the quantity and quality of its nuclear arms. The dispatch also indicated that it was necessary to deploy nuclear warheads to prepare them for launch at any moment.

Six short-range projectiles were fired by North Korea along its east coast recently, according to South Korean officials. The launch came after stricter sanctions against the North were approved by the UN Security Council. The firings also came after the first legislation on human rights was passed by the National Assembly of South Korea.

A statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea revealed that the projectiles were fired from Wonsan, a town on the eastern coast of North Korea. They flew around 150 kilometers before they landed in the sea.

North Korea Puts Nuclear Weapons On Standby - image credit: cnn.com

While missiles and rockets are routinely tested by the North, weapon launches are typically conducted when the North is angered by condemnation from other countries. Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said the firings were considered as a token response to the sanctions and North Korea is not expected to conduct a major launch until the Workers’ Party conventions scheduled in May.

North Korean citizens said they think their country can deal with any sanctions imposed by the UN. Song Hyo Il said sanctions will never affect them since they have been living under sanctions for more than fifty years. The Pyongyang resident added that they will build a prosperous and powerful country in the future that relies on their own development.

State media in the North indicated earlier that new sanction will be considered as a “grave provocation” indicating the “extreme” hostility of the United States against the country. It added that the sanction will not cause the country to collapse or stop it from launching rockets.

The new sanctions of the UN required all cargo going into and out of the North to be inspected, a banning of all transfers or sales of arms into the North and the expulsion of diplomats engaging in “illicit activities.” A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of China, Hong Lei, said China is hoping that the sanctions are consistently implemented while avoiding harm to ordinary citizens of its close ally.

Russian ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said the short-range projectiles fired by the North indicate that they are not yet drawing any proper conclusions. On the other hand, Japanese ambassador to the UN, Motohide Yoshikawa, said it is the way the North reacts to the decision of the UN Security Council.

A fourth nuclear test was conducted by the North in January and long-range rocket was used to put a satellite into orbit last month. The launch was considered by the UN as a cover for testing its ballistic missile technology. Prior to the adoption of the UN sanctions, the National Assembly of South Korea indicated that it will set up a center to collect document and publish information on human rights within the North. The information will be transferred to the Justice Ministry, which provides officials the legal grounds to punish North Korean violators.

Posted by James Fried on Friday March 04 2016, 12:04 AM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Uncategorized. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0