North Korea declares tough response to the US

Pyongyang said on April 11 it would take the "toughest" countermeasures against Washington's move to deploy a naval strike group to the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang's warning came after the US dispatched the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser off the divided peninsula amid growing concerns about North Korea's missile programme.

Illustration photo: Yonhap

North Korea's foreign ministry warned that the country was ready to take the toughest measures to defend itself with powerful weapons against what it called "Washington's provocations".

"We will hold the US fully responsible for the disastrous consequences caused by its negative actions," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been rising amid speculation that North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test or launch a long-range missile around key anniversaries this April.

Concerns that the US will launch a preemptive strike against North Korea are also growing.

In an interview with Fox News, US National Security Advisor HR McMaster said President Donald Trump has just instructed him to prepare "a range of options" for the missile and nuclear threats that North Korea poses to Washington and its allies.

In addition, the US is also acting unilaterally to put pressure on North Korea and China in the context that Mr. Trump failed to find a solution to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue at the summit with his Chinese counterpart last weekend.

According to Vietnamnet.vn