North Korea says to hit back at US if attacked.
Seoul, June 22, 2009 (AFP NEWS) -
North Korea described itself Monday as a "proud nuclear power" and threatened
to hit back if attacked, as the United States tracked one of its ships on
suspicion it carries a banned weapons cargo.
Rodong Sinmun, newspaper of the ruling communist party, accused Washington of
building up its regional firepower and denounced "reckless remarks" that US
warships would stop and search its cargo vessels.
It is "nonsense" to claim that the North threatens the United States, the paper
said, but reiterated recent vows not to surrender nuclear weapons.
"As long as the DPRK (North Korea) has become a proud nuclear power, the US
should take a correct look at who it is dealing with," Rodong said.
"It is a great mistake for the US to think it will not be hurt if it ignores
this and ignites the fuse of war on the Korean peninsula."
Regional tensions are at their highest for years after the North launched a
long-range rocket on April 5 and conducted its second nuclear test on May 25,
attracting tougher UN sanctions.
US and South Korean officials say there are signs it plans another ballistic
missile launch. A Japanese media report said a rocket could be fired in the
direction of Hawaii on or around US Independence Day on July 4.
The North staged missile launches in 2006 while the United States was marking
the holiday.
"This administration -- and our military -- is fully prepared for any
contingencies," US President Barack Obama told CBS News when asked about the
possibility.
The interview was to be aired Monday but excerpts were released in advance.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week the military has strengthened
anti-missile defences around Hawaii.
Defence officials say a US destroyer is tracking a North Korean ship previously
linked to trafficking in missile-related cargoes -- the first such action since
a new UN resolution authorised ship inspections by member states.
South Korea's YTN television news channel, citing an intelligence source, said
the United States suspects that the 2,000-tonne Kang Nam 1 is carrying missiles
or related parts and is heading for Myanmar via Singapore.
US officials have not said if or when they might ask to search the vessel under
Resolution 1874, which does not authorise the use of force.
North Korea has reacted defiantly to the latest sanctions, vowing to build more
nuclear bombs. Some US intelligence officials have been quoted as saying it may
conduct a third atomic test.
While the US has said it wants the sanctions to bite, China's full cooperation
in them is seen as essential. It is Pyongyang's sole major ally and leading
trade partner.
Obama in the interview said there was a strong international consensus against
Pyongyang.
The resolution called for tighter cargo inspections, a stricter arms embargo
and new targeted financial curbs to freeze revenue for the North's nuclear and
missile sectors.
"That sends a signal... of a unity in the international community that we
haven't seen in quite some time," Obama told CBS.
"And one of the things that we have been very clear about is that North Korea
has a path towards rejoining the international community. And we hope they take
that path. What we're not going to do is to reward belligerence and provocation
in the way that's been done in the past."
Obama last week called Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions a "grave threat" and vowed
to defend South Korea after talks in Washington with South Korean President Lee
Myung-Bak.
The North in turn accused Obama and Lee of "trying to ignite a nuclear war."
"The US-touted provision of 'extended deterrence, including a nuclear umbrella'
(for South Korea) is nothing but 'a nuclear war plan,'" the state-run weekly
Tongil Sinbo said in a weekend commentary.
