USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Asia-Pacific

    Pyongyang steps up the war of words

    China Daily/Agencies | Updated: 2013-04-12 07:11

    'Powerful striking means' touted as missile fears continue to grow

    The Democratic People's Republic of Korea delivered a fresh round of rhetoric on Thursday with claims it has "powerful striking means" on standby for a launch, as Seoul and Washington speculated the country is preparing to test a medium-range missile during upcoming national celebrations.

    On the streets of Pyongyang, meanwhile, residents celebrated the anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's appointment to the country's top Party post - one in a slew of titles collected a year ago in the months after his father Kim Jong-il's death.

    Pyongyang steps up the war of words

    Pyongyang residents dance together in the city on Thursday, to mark the first anniversary of the appointment of the country's top party post to leader Kim Jong-un. David Guttenfelder / Associated Press

    The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, a non-military agency that deals with relations with the Republic of Korea, didn't elaborate on its warning of a strike. The statement is the latest in a torrent of warlike threats that pressure Seoul and Washington into changing their policy toward Pyongyang.

    Officials in Seoul and Washington say Pyongyang appears to be preparing to test-fire a medium-range missile designed to reach the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

    On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow hopes for positive developments on the Korean peninsula. "We believe the situation is very grave, because nuclear tests and missiles launches are not jokes," he said.

    Analysts do not believe Pyongyang will stage an attack similar to the one that started the Korean War in 1950. But there are concerns that the animosity could spark a skirmish that could escalate into a serious conflict.

    The Musudan missile has a range of 3,500 km and is designed to reach US military installations in Guam and Japan, experts say.

    Bracing for a launch, which officials said could take place at any time, Seoul deployed three naval destroyers, an early-warning surveillance aircraft and a land-based radar system, a Defense Ministry official said in Seoul, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department rules. Japan deployed PAC-3 missile interceptors around Tokyo.

    But officials in Seoul played down security fears, noting that no foreign government has evacuated its citizens from either Pyongyang or Seoul.

    The war talk is seen as a way for Pyongyang to draw attention to the precariousness of the security situation on the peninsula and to boost the military credentials of young leader Kim Jong-un.

    For weeks, the US and the ROK have been engaged in annual military drills meant to show the allies' military might. Pyongyang condemns the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.

    Citing the tensions, the DPRK on Monday pulled more than 50,000 workers from the Kaesong industrial park. It is the first time that production has stopped at the decade-old factory park, the only remaining symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries.

    In Pyongyang, meanwhile, there was no sense of panic. Across the city, workers were preparing for a series of April holidays.

    Students donned suits and traditional dresses to celebrate Kim Jong-un's appointment as first secretary of the Workers' Party a year ago.

    A flower show and art performances are scheduled over the next few days in the lead-up to the nations' biggest holiday, the April 15 birthday of DPRK founder Kim Il-sung, grandfather of the current leader.

    No military parade or mass events are expected over the coming week, but Pyongyang historically uses major holidays to show off its military power, and analysts say it could well mark the occasion with a missile launch in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions barring it from nuclear and missile activity.

    "However tense the situation is, we will mark the Day of the Sun in a significant way," Kim Kwang-chon, a Pyongyang citizen, said, referring to the April 15 birthday. "We will celebrate the Day of the Sun even if war breaks out tomorrow."

    AP-Xinhua

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    久久久久亚洲AV无码网站| 最近的中文字幕大全免费8| 亚洲韩国—中文字幕| 国产精品无码成人午夜电影| a亚洲欧美中文日韩在线v日本| 国产免费无码AV片在线观看不卡| 亚洲日韩AV一区二区三区中文| 亚洲男人在线无码视频| 无码人妻精品中文字幕| 自拍中文精品无码| 中文字幕视频在线| 中文字幕乱码无码人妻系列蜜桃| 国产在线拍揄自揄拍无码| 潮喷失禁大喷水无码| 亚洲美日韩Av中文字幕无码久久久妻妇 | 亚欧无码精品无码有性视频| 无码人妻精品中文字幕免费| 国产av无码专区亚洲av果冻传媒| а天堂中文在线官网| 天码av无码一区二区三区四区| 精品深夜AV无码一区二区| 无码人妻AV一二区二区三区| 亚洲日韩中文在线精品第一| 亚洲韩国—中文字幕| 婷婷综合久久中文字幕| 99久久超碰中文字幕伊人| 亚洲va中文字幕无码久久| 中文字幕无码AV波多野吉衣| 亚洲av无码成人精品国产| 精品人妻无码专区中文字幕| 92午夜少妇极品福利无码电影| 国产乱子伦精品无码码专区| 无码中文字幕av免费放dvd| 国模GOGO无码人体啪啪| 精品无码人妻一区二区三区品| 少妇人妻偷人精品无码视频| 无码AV片在线观看免费| 精品深夜AV无码一区二区| 国产午夜无码片免费| 亚洲伊人成无码综合网| 亚洲无av在线中文字幕|