North Korea says nukes cleared for attack
U.S. adding missile defense on Guam
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea warned Thursday that its military has been cleared to attack the U.S. using “smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear” weapons
he announcement came after the Pentagon said Wedneday it will expand the nation’s missile defense system to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam to strengthen regional protection against a possible attack from North Korea. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U. S. was seeking to defuse the situation.
Despite the hostile rhetoric, analysts say they do not expect a nuclear attack by North Korea, which knows the move could trigger a destructive, suicidal war that no one in the region wants. It’s also extremely unlikely that the North even has the ability to strike the United States with a nuclear warhead.
The strident warning from Pyongyang is the latest in a series of escalating threats from North Korea, which has railed for weeks against joint U. S. and South Korean military exercises taking place in South Korea and has expressed anger over tightened sanctions for a February nuclear test.
Washington calls the military drills, which this time have incorporated fighter jets and nuclearcapable stealth bombers, routine annual exercises between the allies. Pyongyang calls them rehearsals for a northward invasion.
In Pyongyang, the military statement said North Korean troops had been authorized to counter U.S. “aggression” with “powerful practical military counteractions,” including nuclear weapons.
“We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the everescalating U. S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cuttingedge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means,” a spokesman from the General Bureau of the Korean People’s Army. DPRK stands for Demo- cratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s formal name.
“The U. S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation.” the statement said.
Hagel said Washington was doing all it can to defuse the situation.
“Some of the actions they’ve taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests, certainly of our allies, starting with South Korea and Japan and also the threats that the North Koreans have leveled directly at the United States regarding our base in Guam, threatened Hawaii, threatened the West Coast of the United States,” Hagel said Wednesday.
Pyongyang is believed to be working toward building an atomic bomb small enough to mount on a long-range missile. Longrange rocket launches de- signed to send satellites into space in 2009 and 2012 were widely considered covert tests of missile technology, and North Korea has conducted three underground nuclear tests, most recently in February.
In Seoul, a government official said Tuesday that it wasn’t clear how advanced North Korea’s nuclear capabilities are.