‘Pyongyang may soon hit Europe with N-missiles’

Paris, Sept 1: France’s foreign minister warned on Friday that North Korea could have the capacity to deliver a nuclear strike on the United States and even Europe “within months”.

Jean-Yves Le Drian called the situation following a string of missile tests by Pyongyang “extremely serious” and urged the reclusive state to turn to dialogue to ease spiralling tensions.

“We see a North Korea whose objective is to have missiles capable of transporting a nuclear weapon tomorrow,” Le Drian told RTL radio.

“In a few months, that will be a reality. At that moment, when it has the capability to hit the US, even Europe and at the very least Japan and China, with a nuclear weapon, the situation will be explosive.”

Early on Tuesday, North Korea fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan, prompting US President Donald Trump to say that “all options” were on the table in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action. The UN Security Council denounced Pyongyang’s latest missile test, unanimously demanding a halt to its programme.

Le Drian called on Pyongyang to “return to the path of negotiations” in a bid to ease tensions.

A mediation effort by China and Russia would involve a mutual pause in both missile tests by N. Korea and joint S. Korea-US military drills.