A ‘merciless’ war awaits U.S. and South Korea, as North Korea warns it will launch attacks against joint drills

A ‘merciless’ war awaits U.S. and South Korea, as North Korea warns it will launch attacks against joint drills

• North Korea warned of attacks if U.S. aircraft carrier strike group infringes on its sovereignty

• The aircraft carrier strike group is being led by the USS Carl Vinson, recently deployed in the South China Sea

• Pyongyang alleged the arrival of the U.S. strike group was part of a “reckless scheme” to attack North Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea – As the U.S. strike group arrives in South Korea for joint military drills – North Korea has issued another grave warning.

Pyongyang warned in a statement that if the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group and South Korean forces infringe on its sovereignty or dignity – North Korea would launch “merciless” attacks.

The U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson is joining South Korean forces for exercises and North Korea believes that the arrival of the U.S. strike group was part of a “reckless scheme” to attack it.

In a statement on the state-run news agency KCNA, it said, “If they infringe on the DPRK’s (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) sovereignty and dignity even a bit, its army will launch merciless ultra-precision strikes from ground, air, sea and underwater.”

Further, the statement read, “On March 11 alone, many enemy carrier-based aircraft flew along a course near territorial air and waters of the DPRK to stage drills of dropping bombs and making surprise attacks on the ground targets of its army.”

The move comes a week after North Korea, citing the ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills, fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan.

North Korea said that the U.S.-South Korea military drills was a sign that the countries were preparing for war.

Meanwhile, the large-scale joint military drills by U.S. and South Korea, that began on March 1, were said to be defensive in nature.

According to reports, in 2016, the exercise involved about 17,000 American troops and over 300,000 South Koreans.

In an earlier statement, Seoul had confirmed the drills this year too would be of a similar scale.

Further, before the deployment, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said that the protection of peace and freedom against North Korean threats can only be possible with the preparation of “powerful strength.”

Min-koo added that readiness is key and that the bilateral alliance “cannot be replaced.”

A U.S. military spokesman further said that the United States has also started to deploy “Gray Eagle” attack drones to South Korea.

The Nimitz-class supercarrier with a displacement of more than 100,000 tons, USS Carl Vinson, that was most recently deployed to the South China Sea, was on a regular, scheduled deployment to the region, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

Adding that it would take part in maritime exercises with the forces of ally South Korea, in the operations area of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

The Seventh Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan, with some units based in South Korea.

On Tuesday, U.S. Naval Forces Korea said the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would arrive at the South Korean port city of Busan.

Further, a report in Yonhap indicated that the carrier strike group includes an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and other aircraft carriers, Yonhap reported.

The U.S. Navy said that the Carl Vinson Strike Group includes 5,500 crew members, the Wayne E. Meyer destroyer and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 2.

Also on board the super carrier are over 80 aircraft, including the fighter aircraft F/A-18F Super Hornet, the E-2C Hawkeye, the carrier-based EA-18G Growler and the MH-60S Seahawk multirole helicopter.

The move by the U.S. and South Korea have further ignited tensions in the region, that is already witnessing rough ties, after both the countries decided to deploy the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile system.

China, that has been voicing its discontent related to the decision, claiming that the powerful radar can probe deep into its territory and compromise its security, has now said that the joint military drills would do nothing to ease the regional tension.

A state-run Chinese newspaper, Global Times said the USS Carl Vinson was taking part in a simulation of a preemptive strike against North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities.

It said that the drills sent the North “an explicit radical threat,” to which it could not be expected to remain indifferent.

Adding that both, North and South Korea were “equally hysterical.”

Referring to complaints that China does not do enough to rein in old ally North Korea, the report noted, “The U.S. and South Korea often accuse China of being uncooperative, but the reality is they are uncooperative over China’s mediation.”

Further, the regional tension tipped over recently after the bizarre assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother, Kim Jong Nam – that subsequently led to strained ties between Malaysia and North Korea.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is due to make his first visit to South Korea.

Source:North Korea Times