SEOUL: North Korea warned yesterday of a possible “merciless” pre-emptive strike as it blasted an upcoming joint US-South Korean military exercise as a rehearsal for nuclear war.
South Korea vowed to go ahead from today with the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill, which is aimed at testing readiness to combat any North Korean invasion.
Although largely played out on computers, the exercise involves tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops.
In a statement carried Sunday by the official Korean Central News Agency, the North’s military accused Washington and Seoul of planning a “dangerous” rehearsal for nuclear war. “We declare once again that we will mercilessly open the strongest... pre-emptive strike of our own style any time at our discretion,” it said.
North Korean soldiers were ready to “turn the strongholds of aggression into a sea of fire and ashes”, the statement said. “Our troops will strongly retaliate against any provocations from North Korea,” the South’s joint chiefs of staff warned in a statement.
Tensions have been high on the Korean peninsula following an extended series of North Korean missile and rocket tests in recent months. UN resolutions bar the North from any launches using ballistic missile technology.
TOKYO: Floods and landslides following torrential rain in western Japan have killed at least two people and prompted one city to advise more than 80,000 people to flee their homes, officials said yesterday.
One man was confirmed dead in Kyoto city after he was swept away by a flooded river while trying to build a sandbag barrier.
In nearby Ishikawa prefecture, the body of a 74-year-old woman was pulled from her house after a landslide, national broadcaster NHK said. Western and central Japan were still being battered by heavy rain that started Friday.
Fukuchiyama City in Kyoto prefecture experienced rainfall of 12 inches during the 24 hours to early yesterday. The municipality issued an evacuation advisory — a recommendation that is different from an order to evacuate — to all 80,860 residents, as major parts of the city were submerged by waist-high water.
AFP
