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North Korea Warns of ‘Realistic’ Risk of Nuclear War

By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | March 7, 2023

As the US and South Korea prepare for massive war games next week, North Korea is forewarning nuclear war on the peninsula. In a fiery statement, Pyongyang declared the chances of nuclear war are “a realistic one due to the irresponsible deeds of the US and South Korea.”

Last week, Washington and Seoul announced their largest joint war games in five years. The “Foal Eagle” military drills will involve American strategic assets being deployed to the Korean peninsula. Reaper drones will be deployed to South Korea for the war games as well which run from March 13-23.

Last month, Pyongyang warned if Washington and Seoul resumed their annual spring-time war games North Korea would turn the Pacific Ocean into a firing range. In 2018, the US and South Korea elected to cancel the Foal Eagle military drills to promote diplomacy with North Korea.

On Monday, the North Korean foreign ministry issued a statement in response to the joint war games. Pyongyang blasted Washington and Seoul for increasing the chance of nuclear war. “The danger of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula is turning from an imaginary stage to a realistic one due to the irresponsible deeds of the US and South Korea keen on the bellicose armed demonstrations,” it said.

Though Washington and Seoul claim Foal Eagle is a defensive exercise, Pyongyang views the war games as preparation for an attack on North Korea. The military operations “clearly shows that the U.S. scheme to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK is being carried out on the same footing as an actual war,” the foreign ministry stated.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, said the war games would force Pyongyang to respond. “The demonstrative military moves and all sorts of rhetoric by the U.S. and South Korea, which go so extremely frantic as not to be overlooked, undoubtedly provide (North Korea) with conditions for being forced to do something to cope with them,” she said.

Additionally, Kim warned Washington and Seoul against shooting down any missiles test-fired by Pyongyang. She expressed such a move would be considered a “declaration of war.”

In a separate statement by a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), Pyongyang claimed artillery drills in South Korea are further “aggravating” tensions. “On the morning of March 7, the enemy fired more than 30 artillery shells. This is a very grave military provocation further aggravating the prevailing situation,” it said.

North Korean forces were placed on “alert posture for attack,” the spokesperson added.

March 8, 2023 - Posted by | Militarism | ,

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