While Pyongyang often issues saber-rattling statements during annual US and South Korean joint exercises, “this year the level of anger is much greater”, says Mike Chinoy, a former CNN senior worldwide correspondent and the author of “Meltdown: The inside story of the North Korean nuclear crisis”.
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Describing the shuttering of Kaesong as a “unilateral” move, KCNA said Pyongyang “will completely liquidate all South Korean companies and relevant assets” within its borders.
Seoul’s allies, Ward noted, are undoubtedly monitoring the evolving situation between South and North Korea to see what type of support they might be called upon to provide to South Korea.
The missile firing Thursday came a day after North Korean media printed photos of what appeared to be a mock-up of a nuclear warhead.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry quickly disputed the North’s claim that it possesses miniaturized warheads.
On the Korean Peninsula there’s yet another reason why tensions are rising.
Overseeing a ballistic missile launch on Thursday, Kim ordered “more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said.
Pyongyang’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which was behind the statement, also made a vague threat to Seoul, promising to deal “a devastating end to [President] Park Geun-hye and her party”.
Two days later, KCNA announced that Kim Jong-un had attended a ceremony celebrating the production of a miniaturized nuclear warhead, allowing Pyongyang to place its nuclear weapons on long-range missiles.
US State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on Kim’s claim to have miniaturised nuclear warheads and accused him of “provocative rhetoric”.
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The North says it tested its first H-bomb on January 6, followed last month by the launch of a rocket that put a satellite into orbit but which was violating United Nations resolutions because it contains dual-use technology that could also be applied to long-range ballistic missiles. North Korea, which views such maneuvers as a threat and a possible preparation for invasion, warned that the country was already in a position to launch a nuclear strike against its enemies. “North Korea must not damage valuable properties of our people and will have to take full responsibility for its behaviour”, the ministry said in a statement.
