US, South Korea send Kim warning
The US and South Korea jointly warned North Korea yesterday use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime, as Pyongyang continued to rattle the peninsula with escalating missile tests.
North Korea has launched more than two dozen missiles over the past two days in response to US-South Korean military exercises that began Tuesday. The launches have sent South Koreans scrambling for shelter and further frayed the nerves of a population already mourning the loss of more than 150 people at a horrific Halloween crowd crush.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup released a joint statement saying they “strongly condemned” North Korea’s escalating military flexing.
In response to the launches, the US extended the “Vigilant Storm” military exercise, which will now run through until tomorrow, depending on the security environment.
In its launches on Thursday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, drawing swift condemnation from the White House, which accused Pyongyang of “destabilising the security situation in the region.”