North Korea threatens to attack US military bases in the Pacific

(Baonghean.vn) - The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that on August 17, Pyongyang condemned the US for recently deploying additional nuclear bombers to Guam, and threatened that many US military bases in the Pacific region could be "attacked in case of reckless actions".

Pyongyang said its long-range ballistic missile and artillery units were on combat readiness, targeting US military bases in Guam, Hawaii and the US mainland. Photo: AP.

KCNA news agency quoted a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry stating: "The US sending strategic nuclear bombers to Guam shows that the US plan for a preemptive nuclear strike on the DPRK has entered a stage of reckless implementation."

The statement stressed that North Korea and its military will "not stand idly by" in the face of US nuclear threats but will be ready to defend the country's sovereignty and security with nuclear weapons.

Earlier this month, the US moved B-1B and B-2 nuclear bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Guam, amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

On the same day, North Korea confirmed that it had resumed plutonium production, and affirmed that Pyongyang had no plans to stop nuclear testing as long as threats from the US persisted.

In a written response to Kyodo News, the Atomic Energy Institute, which oversees North Korea's main nuclear facilities at the Yongbyon complex, said its experts had begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods removed from a mid-range graphite reactor to produce plutonium.

Two missiles are launched during a live-fire drill in North Korea. Photo: AFP.

The institute also claimed that Pyongyang was producing highly enriched uranium, needed for weapons and nuclear power, "as planned." However, the amount of plutonium and uranium Pyongyang produced has not been disclosed. This is the first confirmation that North Korea has made in response to questions from foreign media on the issue.

Plutonium is a key ingredient in nuclear bombs. Resuming production of this material would help North Korea improve its ability to produce nuclear weapons, despite the country being under multiple UN sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests that have caused deep concern in international opinion.

Lan Ha

(According to Yonhap)