North Korea threatens to respond brutally if the US attacks

Pyongyang accused Washington of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, warning of a "merciless response" if attacked by the US.

North Korean officers during a military parade. Photo: Japan Times.

A spokesman for a peace research institute affiliated with the North Korean Foreign Ministry said on April 13 that the US was pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of nuclear war. Pyongyang threatened to "mercilessly retaliate" if attacked by the US, Yonhap reported.

The statement comes as tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have escalated. North Korea has shown signs of preparing for its sixth nuclear test, while the US has deployed the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group near the Korean peninsula. The institute asserted that the US is threatening peace by deploying a series of strategic assets capable of using nuclear weapons.

The institute condemned the US missile attack on a Syrian military base, saying that "the US carries out attacks and threats against a sovereign state while calling for peace through military force." It also rejected US President Donald Trump's efforts to restrain North Korea through cooperation with China.

The balance of power on the Korean peninsula. Graphics: Viet Chung.

According to VNE