North Korea: Missiles ‘On Standby’ After UN Sanctions

North Korea’s missiles are “on standby” after new UN sanctions were passed. The announcement by the North is the second threat in as many days after the sanctions were put into place.

North Korea added that the missiles on standby are tipped with nuclear warheads, despite the fact that experts do not believe the country has that technology yet.

Colonel General Kang Pyo-yong was quoted in a North Korean newspaper as saying that his soldiers are already preparing to launch a reunification mission that would take over South Korea.

The Colonel General added, “Our intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and other missiles are on standby position mounted with various nuclear warheads that have been developed lighter and smaller.” The news comes just one day after the country threatened a preemptive nuclear strike on the United States, as well as South Korea.

North Korea claimed to be successful in creating a lighter and smaller nuclear device that could be put on top of a ballistic missile. The long-range rocket launched by the country in December, a Unha-3, could reach Alaska and maybe even the West Coast of the United States.

Along with The United States and South Korea, North Korea’s missiles on standby warning could also be aimed at Japan. The neighbor to the west is also a frequent target of North Korea’s threats. Even if the threat of a preemptive strike on the United States doesn’t happen, the North’s military would be a formidable force against the South.

Along with the threats of a preemptive strike and the announcement that their nuclear missiles are on standby, the North also announced that it would continue to pursue its goal of becoming a full-fledged nuclear weapons state. The country has also cut off all contact with the South and closed the main border crossing between the two nations that goes across the Demilitarized Zone.

The threats by North Korea also come as the United States and South Korea plan to begin large scale military operations next week. The North has also threatened to end the armistice it signed that stopped the Korean War in 1953 without a peace treaty. Technically, the war is still ongoing.

The threat that North Korea’s missiles are on standby is sure to worry both South Korea and the United States.