NBC News is reporting that US officials may potentially launch a first strike against North Korea if Pyongyang goes ahead with a planned nuclear test this weekend. US forces deployed in the region have prepped two destroyers which are armed with Tomahawk missiles, and are within 300 miles of the nuclear test site.
North Korea responded to the United States by threatening a merciless retaliatory strike: “By relentlessly bringing in a number of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, the US is gravely threatening the peace and safety and driving the situation to the brink of a nuclear war.”
South Korean diplomat Yun Bung claims that US forces would consult with his nation before any such attack: “U.S. officials, mindful of such concerns here, repeatedly reaffirmed that (the U.S.) will closely discuss with South Korea its North Korea-related measures. In fact, the U.S. is working to reassure us that it will not, just in case that we might hold such concerns.”
