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North Korea: Kim Jong-un orders nuclear weapons readied for use 'at any time' North Korea: Kim Jong-un orders nuclear weapons readied for use 'at any time'
(about 1 hour later)
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons “at any time” in the face of a growing threat from enemies, according to official media. North Korea should be ready to use nuclear weapons “at any time” in the face of a growing threat from its enemies, leader Kim Jong-un has decreed in a further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Kim also said the North should turn its military posture to a “pre-emptive basis” because enemies were threatening the state’s survival, the regime’s KCNA news agency announced on Friday.
Related: North Korea fires missile volley into sea after UN ratchets up sanctionsRelated: North Korea fires missile volley into sea after UN ratchets up sanctions
According to the agency, Kim made his comments while monitoring the test firing of a new large-calibre multiple rocket launcher on Thursday, just hours after the UN security council unanimously adopted a resolution penalising the North for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. Kim’s warning, issued via state-controlled media on Friday morning, appeared to be an attempt to put pressure on the international community after the UN security council on Wednesday adopted a raft of new sanctions against the regime in response to its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the North fired half a dozen rockets about 100-150km (60-90 miles) into the sea off its eastern coast on Thursday. Kim, who was supervising the test-firing of newly developed multiple rocket launchers, said North Korea’s situation had become so perilous that it should have the option of launching a “pre-emptive attack” – a departure from previous claims that the North’s nuclear capability was purely a deterrent.
In a clear threat to neighbouring South Korea, Kim said the new rocket launcher should be “promptly deployed” along with other newly developed weaponry. In an apparent threat to neighbouring South Korea, Kim said the new rocket launchers should be “promptly deployed” along with other new weaponry.
“At an extreme time when the Americans … are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability,” Kim said. He said the regime’s enemies – notably the US – were threatening North Korea’s survival, the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported.
The US-drafted UN resolution adopted by the security council late on Wednesday laid out the toughest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear weapons programme and will, if implemented effectively, apply significant economic pressure to Kim’s regime. “At an extreme time when the Americans ... are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
The resolution breaks new ground, sanctioning specific sectors key to the North Korean economy – such as mineral exports – and seeking to undermine the North’s use of and access to international transport systems. “Under the extreme situation that the US imperialist is misusing its military influence and is pressuring other countries and people to start war and catastrophe, the only way for our people to protect sovereignty and rights to live is to strengthen the quality and quantity of nuclear power and realise the balance of power.
In the past North Korea has reacted to international pressure with alarming words often designed for an internal audience. “We must always be ready to fire our nuclear warheads at any time.”
But experts will point to the fact that although Kim Jong-un’s possesses the ability to detonate a weapon in controlled tests, the prospect of delivering a nuclear warhead with a missile is highly doubtful. People in the capital, Pyongyang, said the new round of UN sanctions would not affect the country’s progress.
North Korea has not issued an official reaction to the new UN sanctions. But citizens in its capital, Pyongyang, interviewed by the Associated Press said on Thursday they believed their country could fight off any sanctions. “No kind of sanctions will ever work on us, because we’ve lived under US sanctions for more than half a century,” Pyongyang resident Song Hyo-il told the Associated Press.
“No kind of sanctions will ever work on us, because we’ve lived under US sanctions for more than half a century,” said Pyongyang resident Song Hyo-il. “And in the future we’re going to build a powerful and prosperous country here, relying on our own development.” “And in the future we’re going to build a powerful and prosperous country here, relying on our own development.”
The US defence department urged the North to “refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions, and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments”.
“We are aware of the reports and are closely monitoring the situation on the Korean peninsula in coordination with our regional allies,” said Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China, North Korea’s closest ally, hoped the UN sanctions would be implemented “comprehensively and seriously”, while harm to ordinary North Korean citizens would be avoided.In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China, North Korea’s closest ally, hoped the UN sanctions would be implemented “comprehensively and seriously”, while harm to ordinary North Korean citizens would be avoided.
At the United Nations, Russia’s ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, asked about the North’s firing of short-range projectiles, said: “It means that they’re not drawing the proper conclusions yet.”At the United Nations, Russia’s ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, asked about the North’s firing of short-range projectiles, said: “It means that they’re not drawing the proper conclusions yet.”
Japan’s UN ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said: “That’s their way of reacting to what we have decided.” Japan’s UN ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said: “That’s their way of reacting to what we have decided. They may do something more … so we will see.”
“They may do something more,” Yoshikawa said. “So we will see.” While North Korea is believed to possess a small stockpile of nuclear warheads, most experts say the regime has yet to develop the technology to miniaturise them so they can be mounted on a missile.
Dr Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea from the Australian National University, said the statement was not an idle threat. “North Korea is prepared to go a long way in this,” he said. This is not the first time that Kim – who became leader in late 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il – has issued threats to the west.
“They believe it’s the only way they can protect their regime,” Petrov told Guardian Australia. “The survival of the regime is the main concern for the North Korean leadership.” In 2013 he threatened a nuclear strike on the US mainland in response to sanctions imposed after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test and the US held its traditional joint military manoeuvres with South Korea – exercises that Pyongyang regards as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North.
Petrov said the statement was intended to send a message to the UN security council, including formerly friendly nations Russia and China. Dr Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea from the Australian National University, said Friday’s statement was not an idle threat.
“North Korea is prepared to go a long way in this,” Petrov told Guardian Australia. “They believe it’s the only way they can protect their regime. The survival of the regime is the main concern for the North Korean leadership.”
Petrov said the statement was intended to send a message to the UN security council, including formerly more friendly nations Russia and China.
“I think North Korea [is] simply mirroring the US rhetoric that nuclear weapons may be used pre-emptively and that’s what North Korea believes they also have the right to do,” he said.“I think North Korea [is] simply mirroring the US rhetoric that nuclear weapons may be used pre-emptively and that’s what North Korea believes they also have the right to do,” he said.
Friday’s warning to the west came after North Korea fired a volley of short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast.
This followed the UN security council’s unanimous decision to impose the toughest sanctions against the regime in two decades over its nuclear and rocket tests.
The UN sanctions target mineral exports and other key sectors of the North Korean economy, as well as blocking the regime’s access to international transport systems.
The measures, passed on Wednesday, are designed to limit North Korea’s ability to earn foreign currency, which it then uses to fund its nuclear and missile programmes.
North Korea has previously carried out live firing near or across its borders when facing international condemnation.
Tilman Ruff, a Melbourne University academic and nuclear disarmament advocate, said that despite North Korea’s “really frightening and belligerent” threats he believed its programme to develop a bomb remained mostly a political tool.
“I think the leadership would be cognisant of the fact that the military response that would follow any nuclear assault on their behalf would be the end of the regime and possibly take out most of the North Korean population,” he said.
Tilman said that even if the regime had a proven long-range missile delivery system, the country’s nuclear weapons cache was small.
“They have got probably less than 10 relatively crude nuclear weapons, in the global scale of 15,530 … that’s less than a 10th of a percent of the global nuclear arsenal,” he said.
“I really do think that their nuclear programme is primarily about achieving political attention and trying to get the US attention in particular.”