At the end of the video, North Korea launches a ballistic missile which hits Washington, and the American flag is shown in flames.
Advertisement
North Korea also demanded South Korea publicly execute those who plotted a plan to strike at the North Korean leadership, claiming that it is the last opportunity for Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea’s presidential office, to avoid retaliatory fire.
The video was published on the North’s propaganda website DPRK Today and shows images from the Korean War, the capture of USA spy ship Pueblo in 1968 and the first crisis over North Korea’s nuclear programme in the early 1990s.
The North then carried out a satellite rocket launch in February, which the United States claims was a ballistic missile test, and led the UN Security Council to adopt a new sanctions resolution.
The Korean War ended with a truce, an armistice that created the demilitarized zone, in 1953, and the two sides along with the United States remain technically at war since no peace treaty was ever signed.
Hatred for America has become a staple in the North Korean political world that has increased as the repressive regime has begun to develop nuclear weapons. It was the latest in a barrage of threats against Washington and Seoul over joint military drills now underway that the North sees as a rehearsal for invasion.
Further angering Pyongyang have been reports in South Korean media that this year’s exercises include simulated training for a “decapitation strike” targeting North Korea’s top leaders. A strike on Seoul, however, is highly unlikely, and Pyongyang has previously issued similar threats without following through.
If South Korea does “not respond to the ultimatum of the KPA, the long-range artillery force of the KPA large combined unit on the front will move over to merciless military action”, the North’s long-range artillery force said in an English-language ultimatum, referring to the North Korean military’s official name.
North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, but is not believed to have perfected either enough to pose a credible threat to major U.S. cities.
Advertisement
South Korea’s military urged North Korea to stop its vulgar rhetoric and warned that the North’s provocations will lead to its destruction.
