North Korea on Sunday blasted Seoul’s accusation that Pyongyang had launched a series of cyber attacks targeting South Korean government officials, calling the allegation a “bullshit” fabrication.
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POHANG, South Korea-Waves of amphibious landing craft came ashore here on Saturday in the showpiece event of a major USA and South Korean military drill that was slammed by North Korea with threats of retaliation.
In a statement reported by state media on Saturday, the General Staff of the North’s Korean People’s Army (KPA) said its frontline units were prepared to strike first if they saw signs that any US and South Korean troops involved in the drills were attempting to invade.
“If the North continues to make provocations despite the stern warnings made by our military, it is inevitable for us to roll out a strict response that may lead to the destruction of the Pyongyang regime”, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to local news agency Yonhap.
Meanwhile, around 17,000 USA military personnel and 300,000 South Korean troops are taking part in what the South Korean Defense Ministry described as the “largest ever” joint military exercises.
North Korea has around 70 submarines in total. American spy satellites, aircraft and ships have been watching as the North Korean navy searched for the missing sub, CNN reported.
North Korea called the annual drills “nuclear war moves” and threatened to respond with an all-out offensive. “At the end of the day, we sincerely believe in peace through strength, and it is in the strength of our alliance that we believe that we can deter and avoid war”, he said.
The South Korean Defence Ministry is now investigating the matter, AFP reports, citing ministry officials.
The National Intelligence Service told a parliamentary committee meeting that the North unsuccessfully tried to hack into the railway control system and computer networks of financial institutions in South Korea, according to the office of lawmaker Joo Ho-young who attended the private meeting.
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Conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of United Nations sanctions, which also ban ballistic missile tests, although Pyongyang has rejected them. It is expected that Kim will use the Workers’ Party convention, the party’s first since 1980, to announce important state goals and shake up the country’s political elite to further consolidate his power.
