North Korea Ambassador Says Nuclear War 'May Break Out Any Moment'
Kim In Ryong, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the U.N,He Commented that Nuclear War Could Break out at any time. (Kim In Ryong Images) |
Kim In Ryong, North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the U.N., told the General Assembly’s disarmament committee that his country was now a “full-fledged nuclear power which possesses the delivery means of various ranges, including the atomic bomb, H-bomb and intercontinental ballistic rockets,” according to The Associated Press. “The entire U.S. mainland is within our firing range, and if the U.S. dares to invade our sacred territory even an inch it will not escape our severe punishment in any part of the globe,” Kim said.
The
comments, while severe, are relatively routine and echo those made by
North Korean diplomats and state media on an almost continuous basis.
The country often threatens to turn Washington and the South Korean
capital, Seoul, into a “sea of fire,” and Pyongyang has released propaganda clips showing simulated attacks on the U.S.
But the administration of President Donald Trump has amped up its own rhetoric in return in recent months. The president has threatened to “totally destroy”
North Korea and mocked its leader, Kim Jong Un, as a suicidal “rocket
man” on Twitter. Kim notably fired back at Trump last month with his own
wordplay, calling the American leader a “mentally deranged dotard.”
U.S.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has continued to work on a diplomatic
solution, telling CNN on Sunday he would continue to engage with North
Korea “until the first bomb drops.”
Trump “has also made clear to me that he wants this solved diplomatically,” Tillerson continued, dismissing tweets by Trump earlier this month that said the secretary was wasting his time. “He’s not seeking to go to war.”
The U.N. has passed a series of sweeping sanctions against North Korea, which Pyongyang has said are having a “colossal” effect. But the country has continued to reject proposals to hold any peace talks with South Korea.
Ambassador
Kim said that the country would continue to develop its nuclear
arsenal, calling it a “precious strategic asset that cannot be reversed
or bartered for anything.”
“Unless
the hostile policy and the nuclear threat of the U.S. is thoroughly
eradicated, we will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets
on the negotiating table under any circumstances,” he said.
Trump will visit South Korea next month and speak with President Moon Jae-in, as well as the country’s National Assembly. Reuters has reported that Trump may visit the Demilitarized Zone, following up on a trip Vice President Mike Pence took to the region.
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