Pyongyang moves ultimatum to April 10
Seoul (AsiaNews) - After moving its missiles onto the launch pads on the east coast, the North Korean government is preparing a fourth nuclear test, two months after the one that caused the reaction of the international community. According to South Korean sources "there are traces of frenzied activity" in the Yongbyon reactor, and the regime has stressed that "diplomatic activities cannot be guaranteed" after April 10.
Thus tensions mount even further
on the Korean peninsula. The
bishops of the South are inviting "all parties" to "take time to
reflect," but their appeal seems to go unheard. The
Seoul government has in fact authorized the troops at the border to increase
the alert level, while Tokyo has warned Pyongyang it is "ready" to
shoot down any possible air threat against its territory.
During
a press conference, the South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae added
that "there are signs of unusual activity with movement of people and
vehicles, also near Punggye-ri, the main North Korean site for nuclear testing". Kim
Jang-soo, head of the Presidential Office's National Security Service, has said
the North "could launch a medium-range missile around Wednesday, April 10,
the day of deadline for the evacuation of foreign embassies in Pyongyang for
which thr regime can not guarantee the security of diplomatic personnel in the
event of a conflict".
Russia, a long time ally of the Pyongyang regime, is also increasingly concerned. During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "the threat of a nuclear war with North Korea makes the Chernobyl disaster seem like a fairy tale for children. The escalation on the peninsula Korean troubles us because we are neighbors because if, God forbid, something happens, Chernobyl which we all know a lot about, may seem like a child's fairy tale ". "The threat is real - said Putin - I would invite everyone to calm down."
As a direct consequence of these signs of preparations, Japan has ordered the military to shoot down any missile that North Korea aims towards its territory. As a result the Japanese Navy is aligning its destroyers, equipped with anti-missile systems in the Sea of Japan. "There is little likelihood - a Japanese government source told the Kyodo agency -that a missile will be directed in Japan, but we must be prepared for all eventualities."
Meanwhile, the country's population is in danger of collapse. A source for AsiaNews speaks of a "real tuberculosis emergency in southern North Korea, just across the border. Humanitarian aid is blocked, the dietary level of the average population is at historic lows and there are no more medicines to combat TB. We are very concerned about what will happen: beyond the war, many lives are already at risk today. "
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12/02/2016 15:14
19/10/2021 09:42
