North Korean nuclear threat ‘only aimed at the US’ and other countries ‘SHOULD NOT FEAR’
NORTH Korea’s nuclear threat is "only aimed at the US" and other countries "should not fear", a hermit kingdom official has claimed.
Ri Jong-hyok, the deputy of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly and director of the National Reunification Institute, attempted to calm world fears by stating that the rogue nation only has a problem with the United States as nations around the globe continue to impose new sanctions on despot leader Kim Jong-un.
He said: "It's the Korean people's resolute decision that North Korea should face off with the US only with nuclear weapons to achieve the balance of power.
"Our nuclear deterrence is a sword of justice aimed at fighting US nuke and Asia and any country in the world need not worry about our threats as long as they do not join invasion and provocations toward us.”
Speaking at the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Turkey, the rogue nation official claimed North Korean provocations come in response to a “US ambition to secure its supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region”.
He added: "Today's reality shows that our obtaining of nuclear weapons shatters the US ambition to secure its supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region and safeguards peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and its region.”
The official iterated that North Korea plans to step up its military efforts against the US - this supports theories from leading experts that the isolationist kingdom is planning a missile test before Christmas.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) declared that the next "provocation" from Kim Jong-un will take place on the December 17.
The shock prediction followed an unprecedented data analysis which showed there was "elevated chances of provocations over the next 14 to 30 days".
Speculation has been mounting over when the North Korea will next conduct a missile test after the communist regime has remained quiet for the last two months.
An international expert from the Washington DC-based think tank said the planned test means a "ballistic missile test expected on 17th of December".
This date coincides with the death of Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-Il, who passed away nearly six years ago.
The launch will involve a "demonstration of a weapon of mass destruction," which will follow an annual military exercise in the country that month.
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The think tank claims December has usually been a period of "high missile test activity" by the regime in the past five years.
The absence of any recent missile tests has left international monitors puzzled after no warning was issued following this month's South Korean-US military drills.
To the surprise of outside commentators, North Korea has also not yet responded to the US re-designation of the regime as sponsors of terror.
The rogue nation’s neighbour and leading trade partner, China, recently placed its nuclear bombers on 24/7 alert following growing tensions between the US and North Korea.
Warplane pilots and crew in China have been told to be “combat ready all the time” after a fleet of jets flew over the South China Sea.
Bombers with the ability to carry nuclear arms flew over the disputed region on Thursday as China continues to clash with the US.
China’s military boasted that the flyover proved they could breach the disputed “First Island Chain”.
Chinese officials failed to confirm how many planes were involved in the drill, however, the planes can fly at speeds of up to 656mph.
China currently has 15 of these planes in service since they were deployed in 2009.