Seoul (AsiaNews) - The likelihood of a new Korean War is growing. After all the rhetoric, military exercises and a flight by two US stealth bombers, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un placed North Korean rocket forces on standby to strike South Korea and US Pacific bases. He also gave the green light for a new nuclear weapon.
"If they make a reckless provocation with huge strategic forces, the Korean People's Army (KPA) should mercilessly strike the US mainland, their stronghold, their military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim Jong-un as saying. "The time has come to settle accounts with" US imperialism, he added.
Pyongyang's action has sparked new fears about a hot war. Asked about the crisis, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said, "we have to take seriously every provocative, bellicose word and action" noting that the US was ready for any eventuality.
Soon after, his words were followed up with action. Overnight, the US Strategic Command dispatched two B-2 Spirit bombers on a practice run. The two radar-evading aircrafts dropped inert munitions on a range facility on the Jikdo islands before returning to base.
For South Korea and the United States, it was a simple drill, but for North Korea it was a direct attack, not simple threats.
Meanwhile, the only country could exert any influence on Pyongyang has taken wait-and-see stance. As it usually does, China called on both sides to make an effort to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that he hoped all "relevant parties [would] exercise restraint so as to ease the tension".
China is North Korea's only remaining ally and its first trading partner. It supplies the Communist nation with most of its energy, crucial for the economy.
However, Beijing voted in favour of the latest United Nation Security Council resolution imposing more sanctions on Pyongyang after the latter carried out a third nuclear test.
In retaliation against joint US-South Korean exercises, North Korea placed its rocket forces on standby to strike at South Korea and the United States as well as US Pacific bases.