Published 11:33 IST, January 1st 2020
Kim Jong Un: N Korea ready to take 'shocking actual action' against US
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has said that he is ready to take 'actual action' just weeks after threatening to deliver an unpleasant Christmas gift.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said that he is ready to take "shocking actual action" just weeks after threatening to deliver an unpleasant 'Christmas gift'. The state media of North Korea reported on December 1 that Kim made the announcements during a four-day meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang. He added that the nation would never abandon its security for economic benefits. Kim's statements came after the US missed a year-end deadline for fresh talks on denuclearisation. The state secretary of the US, Mike Pompeo said that he hopes North Korea would choose peace.
North Korea to test ICBM
According to US Military commanders, the new path that Pyongyang could take would be to resume testing of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear bomb tests which had stopped back in 2017. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement said that he hopes North Korea chooses peace over confrontation and does not resume testing a long-range or nuclear missile. While talking to local media, Pompeo said that he still hopes to convince North Korean leadership that the best course of action would be to get rid of their nuclear weapons. According to sources, the US Air Force flew an RC-135 plane over South Korea on Monday and Tuesday. In a speech delivered at the Workers’ Party’s 7th Central Committee meeting, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for 'diplomatic and military countermeasures' to preserve North Korea's security.
US warns North Korea
According to the reports, the White House announced on Sunday that if North Korea went ahead with its threat of a 'Christmas gift' the United States would have to consider using tools other than personal diplomacy and such measures could reignite tensions over its nuclear program. On December 11, US Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft, while speaking at the Security Council, warned North Korea against further missile and nuclear tests. She had raised concerns about North’s indication of intercontinental ballistic missile tests which will bring the US in its range. Craft said that the US has sought to engage in “robust diplomacy with the DPRK”, but the signs were deeply troubling.
Updated 11:34 IST, January 1st 2020