As concerns mount North Korea may be about to conduct a nuclear test, a senior Pyongyang official blamed US President Donald Trump for stirring up tensions. Reports suggest the US could launch a preemptive strike.
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North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol on Friday blamed US President Donald Trump for building up tensions on the Korean Peninsula with his "aggressive" words and tweets. In an interview with the news agency AP, he warned the US against provoking the country militarily.
"If the US comes with reckless military maneuvers then we will confront it with the DPRK's pre-emptive strike," Han said, calling North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We will go to war if they choose."
An April 11 tweet from Trump, saying North Korea was looking for trouble and if China did not help the US would "solve the problem without them," was cited by Han who said it was the US that "makes trouble."
Last weekend, a US aircraft carrier and its strike group were diverted to waters off the Korean Peninsula. The Trump administration has warned its policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea is over.
"North Korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of," Trump told reporters. North Korea has continued to conduct missile and nuclear tests despite UN and other sanctions.
US Navy carrier strike group moves to Korean Peninsula
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China's role
However, Trump said he believed tensions over the North's nuclear program could be resolved with help from China, while Beijing itself said military force would not help the situation.
"After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it's not so easy," the president said in a "Wall Street Journal" interview after talks on the subject with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said he hoped China's pressure could steer North Korea away from its nuclear program.
China said it was relying on negotiations to settle tensions. "Military force cannot resolve the issue," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing, adding is was necessary to stop the situation going down an "irreversible route."
Past failed tests
Speculation has arisen that the North might be planning a nuclear test to coincide with a national day of celebration. In Pyongyang, celebrations are already underway ahead of North Korea's biggest national day, the "Day of the Sun," on Saturday. It marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.
In 2012, two days ahead of the centenary of Kim Il Sung's death, it tried but failed to launch a long-range rocket carrying a satellite. Pyongyang tested a newly developed intermediate-range missile on the anniversary last year, although the launch also failed.
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
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US Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to South Korea on Sunday, the first leg in a long-planned tour of Asia.