American provocations “will be annihilated by means of nuclear attack more effective, small, light and diversified. There ruthless operation of our armed forces revolutionaries in this regard has passed the examination and final ratification”. This is the threat launched byNorth Korean military to the United States. Pyongyang considers the 'Key Resolve' joint military exercises launched last month by South Korea and the United States intolerable.
According to reports from the Yonhap agency, "South Korean and American intelligence authorities have detected signals that North Korea has deployed an object seen as a medium-range missile on its east coast”. It could be a Musudan carrier, capable of covering 4 kilometers and therefore reaching the US base in Guam.
Washington, through National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden, has asked Pyongyang to stop making "provocative" threats and to "comply with international obligations".
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has confirmed that it has set up a missile defense system at its military base in Guam, a “precautionary move to strengthen our regional defense positions against the threat of North Korean ballistic missiles. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korea's provocations and stands ready to defend American soil, our allies and our national interests."
Yet, according to the Wall Street Journal, the White House later decided to stop the aggressive attitude, for fear of exacerbating the crisis. The United States does not believe that North Korea has any imminent plans for military action in response to drills, but concern and may make hasty decisions.
As for relations between the two Koreas, Pyongyang has closed the "joint development" industrial district of Kaesong to workers from the south, the most successful example of cooperation between the two countries so far. North Korea has also restarted the nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon plant, potentially able to supply the country with the material to build the atomic weapon.
