North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday. The report did not say when the test took place but it was likely referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea. "Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability", KCNA said. The North Korean leader was quoted in state media earlier in the week as saying his country had miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles. Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last … [Read more...] about North Korean leader Kim orders more nuclear tests – KCNA
North korean nuclear threat
Japan puts military on alert for possible North Korean missile test
TOKYO, Jan 29 -- Japan has put its military on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch after indications it is preparing for a test firing, two people with direct knowledge of the order told Reuters on Friday. "Increased activity at North Korea's missile site suggests that there may be a launch in the next few weeks," said one of the sources, both of whom declined to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Tension rose in East Asia this month after North Korea's fourth nuclear test, this time of what it said was a hydrogen bomb. A missile test coming so soon after the nuclear test would raise concern that North Korea plans to fit nuclear warheads on its missiles, giving it the capability to launch a strike against rival South Korea, Japan and possibly targets as far away as the U.S. West Coast. Japan's Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani has ordered Aegis destroyers that operate in the Sea of Japan to be ready to target any North … [Read more...] about Japan puts military on alert for possible North Korean missile test
N. Korea slams new South-US pact against nuclear attack
SEOUL - North Korea on Monday lashed out at a new military pact between the South and the US aimed at guarding against potential nuclear attacks and threatened a "final destruction". Defence chiefs of the two allies said the new "strategic framework" for dealing with "key North Korean nuclear threat scenarios" would greatly enhance their deterrence capacity in the wake of the North's third atomic test in February. The two nations along with Japan are also to stage a massive joint naval drill near the Korean peninsula from Tuesday to Thursday involving the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington. The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPK) baulked at the latest moves, describing them as "grave provocations" that would push the peninsula to the "brink of nuclear war". "The latest military manoeuvres are creating a grave crisis on the peninsula - a tinderbox where any error of judgment or accident can trigger a nuclear war," the CPK said in a … [Read more...] about N. Korea slams new South-US pact against nuclear attack
S. Korea-US sign plan to deter N. Korea nuclear strike
The plan establishes a "strategic framework" within the two countries' military alliance for dealing with "key North Korean nuclear threat scenarios". South Korea and the United States signed a new strategic pact Wednesday that provides a "tailored" deterrence against the specific threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea. The operational plan establishes a "strategic framework" within the two countries' military alliance for dealing with "key North Korean nuclear threat scenarios" both now and in the event of war, according to a joint statement. The plan was signed by visiting US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who reiterated US commitment to using all its military capabilities -- conventional and nuclear -- to provide South Korea with an "extended deterrence that is credible, capable and enduring". The joint statement provided no specific details of the measures envisaged by the new strategy, which is certain to be condemned by North Korea as a provocative step. At a press … [Read more...] about S. Korea-US sign plan to deter N. Korea nuclear strike
Japan puts anti-North Korean missiles in Tokyo
Japan has deployed Patriot missiles in its capital as it readies to defend the 30 million people who live in greater Tokyo from any North Korean attack, an official said Tuesday. Two Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air missile launchers had been stationed at the defence ministry in Tokyo before dawn, a ministry spokesman said. Local reports said PAC-3 will be deployed in another two locations in the greater Tokyo area. Batteries will also be installed in the semi-tropical island chain of Okinawa, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told a television programme broadcast Monday. He said Okinawa was "the place that is most effective in responding to emergencies... so we should deploy the unit Okinawa on a permanent basis". Japan's armed forces are authorised to shoot down any North Korean missile headed towards its territory, a defence ministry spokesman said Monday. In addition to the PAC-3s, Aegis destroyers equipped with sea-based interceptor missiles have been deployed … [Read more...] about Japan puts anti-North Korean missiles in Tokyo