Kim Jong-Un has warned he will ‘bring nuclear clouds’ to Japan if it does not stop calling for further sanctions to force North Korea to end its nuclear programme.
A comment released by Pyongyang state media branded Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a ‘headless chicken’ and ‘suicidal’, after a speech in the UN where he called for a blockade on exporting goods to North Korea.
Pyongyang’s threat came as Japan’s Defence Minister warned that Kim Jong-Un may carry out another missile test on October 10, as the start of the election campaigns coincides with the founding of North Korea’s communist party.
Little rocket man: Kim Jong Un, pictured vitising a farm last week, has warned that he will ‘bring nuclear clouds to the Japanese archipelago’
Monday’s attack from North Korea followed Prime Minister Abe’s speech at the UN General Assembly last month, where he urged member states to block North Korea’s access to ‘the goods, funds, people and technology’ it needs to continue to develop nuclear missiles.
‘Japan’s such rackets inciting the tension of the Korean peninsula is a suicidal deed that will bring nuclear clouds to the Japanese archipelago,’ a commentary released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency said according to Kyodo news agency.
‘No one knows when the touch-and-go situation will lead to a nuclear war, but if so, the Japanese archipelago will be engulfed in flames in a moment. This is too self-evident.’
The threat followed a warning by Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera that more provocation is possible from North Korea next week.
October 10, when Japan starts it’s campaigns for the snap elections, is also the date North Korea celebrates the founding of the Communist Party of Korea, a predecessor to the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Pyongyang branded Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pictured with Donald Trump, a ‘headless chicken’, after his UN speech calling for a blockade on exporting goods to North Korea
Warning: Kim Jong-Un may carry out another missile test on October 10, as he celebrates the founding the Communist Party of Korea, a predecessor to the Workers’ Party of Korea
Known as Party Foundation Day, the 10th October is an annual public holiday in North Korea, considered one of the most important in their calendar.
North Korea has often marked significant events on its calendar by conducting weapons tests, such as its fifth nuclear test last year on September 9, its founding anniversary.
‘I understand it is an important anniversary for North Korea. We would like to maintain a sense of urgency,’ Onodera told reporters.
Onodera’s warning echoed a comment by South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, who said during a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday that he expected Pyongyang to act around October 10 and 18, but gave no details.
Tensions have risen on the Korean peninsula since reclusive North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, leading to a new round of sanctions after a unanimous vote by the United Nations Security Council.
U.S. President Donald Trump has since traded insults with North Korean leaders, raising the stakes even further.