PYONGYANG: In response to the use of nuclear-armed US B-52 bombers in joint military drills with South Korea, North Korea on Thursday threatened to attack US military bases in Japan and the Pacific island of Guam.
North Korea also carried out an air raid drill on Thursday after it alleged that the US is preparing a military strike using bombers that have overflown the Korean peninsula as part of drills between South Korean and US forces.
“The United States is advised not to forget that our precision target tools have within their range the Anderson Air Force base on Guam where the B-52 takes off, as well as the Japanese mainland where nuclear powered submarines are deployed and the navy bases on Okinawa,” the North’s supreme military command spokesman was quoted as saying by the KCNA news agency.
The Pentagon confirmed that B-52s, taking off from Andersen Air Force base in Guam, had flown over South Korea as part of annual joint exercises that Pyongyang insist are a rehearsal for provocation.
“We cannot tolerate the US carrying out nuclear strike drills, setting us as targets, and advertising them as strong warning messages,” a spokesman for the North’s supreme army command said.
North Korea has stepped up its rhetoric in response to what it calls “hostile” drills between South Korea and the US. It has also been angered by the imposition of fresh UN sanctions that followed its February 12 nuclear test.
Separately, South Korea said a hacking attack on the servers of local broadcasters and banks on Wednesday originated from an IP address in China, raising suspicions the intrusion came from North Korea.
DND
