DPRK leader tells military to be ready to use nuclear weapons at any time

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK's) leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country to be ready to use its nuclear weapons at any time and to turn its military posture to "pre-emptive attack" mode in the face of growing threats from its enemies, state media said on March 4.

The comments, carried by the DPRK's official KCNA news agency, marked a further escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula after the UN Security Council on March 2 imposed harsh new sanctions against the isolated state for its nuclear program.

Kim made the comments as he supervised military exercises involving newly developed rocket launchers, KCNA reported. It did not mention the date of the drills but said the new weapons had the Republic of Korea within range.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)'s defense ministry said on March 3 the DPRK launched several projectiles off its coast into the sea up to 150 kilometers (90 miles) away, an apparent response to the UN sanctions.Kim said DPRK should "bolster up (its) nuclear force both in quality and quantity" and stressed "the need to get the nuclear warheads deployed for national defense always on standby so as to be fired any moment," KCNA quoted him as saying.

"Now is the time for us to convert our mode of military counteraction toward the enemies into an preemptive attack one in every aspect."

DPRK has previously threatened pre-emptive attacks on its enemies including the RoK, Japan and the United States. Military experts doubt it has yet developed the capability to fire a long-range missile with a miniaturized warhead to deliver a nuclear weapon as far as the United States.

"We urge the DPRK to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments," said Commander Bill Urban, a US Defense Department spokesman, responding to the report.

Reuters