The top US military commander in the Pacific has said the US wants to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "to his senses", warning that North Korea could strike US soil.
The warning came as the Trump administration announced a tightening of sanctions against North Korea and a stepping up of diplomatic efforts amid mounting tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear threats.
More World News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:43
North Korea: from ceasefire to nuclear ...
North Korea: from ceasefire to nuclear threats
How a ceasefire signed more than six decades ago has failed to deliver stable peace and allowed nuclear tensions to escalate.
Up Next
Spat over 'world's heaviest' woman's weight loss
- Video duration
- 00:51
- Video duration
- 00:51
Spat over 'world's heaviest' woman's ...
Spat over 'world's heaviest' woman's weight loss
Doctors claim Eman Ahmed lost 300kg after surgery but now her sister has called them 'liars'.
Up Next
Israeli-American teen arrested over bomb hoaxes
- Video duration
- 00:48
- Video duration
- 00:48
Israeli-American teen arrested over bomb ...
Israeli-American teen arrested over bomb hoaxes
18-year-old Michael Ron David Kadar has been indicted in Israel over allegations he made thousands of hoax bomb calls worldwide for secret online bidders.
Up Next
Hilarious Trump parodies mark 100 days
- Video duration
- 01:37
- Video duration
- 01:37
Hilarious Trump parodies mark 100 days
Hilarious Trump parodies mark 100 days
The Trump parodies come thick and fast to mark his first 100 days in office.
Up Next
Missing trekker found alive on Nepal mountain
- Video duration
- 00:44
- Video duration
- 00:44
Missing trekker found alive on Nepal ...
Missing trekker found alive on Nepal mountain
A Taiwanese man who was missing on a mountain in Nepal for 47 days has been found alive. Tragically his girlfriend died just three days before the pair were discovered.
Up Next
Wildflowers visible from space
- Video duration
- 01:08
- Video duration
- 01:08
Wildflowers visible from space
Wildflowers visible from space
A once-in-a-lifetime growth of wildflowers across the hills of California is so expansive it can be seen from space.
Up Next
China vs US: a new space race?
- Video duration
- 01:39
- Video duration
- 01:39
China vs US: a new space race?
China vs US: a new space race?
As China ramps up its space program with talks to build a moon outpost and plans to launch its own space station, the US has its own ambitions to reach Mars sooner than planned.
Up Next
Trump has 'no intention' of releasing tax returns
- Video duration
- 00:56
- Video duration
- 00:56
Trump has 'no intention' of releasing tax ...
Trump has 'no intention' of releasing tax returns
President Donald Trump "has no intention" of releasing information about his taxes to the public, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said.
North Korea: from ceasefire to nuclear threats
How a ceasefire signed more than six decades ago has failed to deliver stable peace and allowed nuclear tensions to escalate.
Admiral Harry Harris, who heads the US Pacific Command, defended the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile defence system in South Korea.
He told Congress that he believed North Korea's threats against the US needed to be taken seriously.
Related Content
Harris told lawmakers that the THAADÂ system would be operational "in coming days".
He said the defences of Hawaii were sufficient for now but could one day be overwhelmed, and suggested studying stationing new radar there as well as interceptors to knock out any incoming North Korean missiles.
"I don't share your confidence that North Korea is not going to attack either South Korea, or Japan, or the United States ... once they have the capability," he said.
"In confronting the reckless North Korean regime, it's critical that we're guided by a strong sense of resolve, both privately and publicly, both diplomatically and militarily," he said.
Harris conceded that North Korean retaliation to any US strikes could cause many casualties in South Korea, but added that there was the risk "of a lot more Koreans and Japanese and Americans dying if North Korea achieves its nuclear aims and does what [North Korea] has said it's going to do."
North Korea's UN Mission said on Wednesday the government would react to "a total war" with the United States with a nuclear war.
Pyongyang will "surely win a victory in the death-defying struggle against the US imperialists", a statement said.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea "can never be frightened" by the Trump administration's effort to bring the country "into submission" by deploying a nuclear aircraft carrier strike group to waters off the Korean Peninsula, it continued.
North Korea's youth league said young supporters were preparing to "wipe out" the US and South Korea with 5 million nuclear bombs, the state-run KCNA news agency said.
Live-fire drills
North Korea on Wednesday released images of live-fire drills to mark the 85th anniversary of the founding of the country's army.Â
Video footage shows Kim striking a defiant pose as he attended what was described by official media as his country's largest ever live-fire drill.
"More than 300 large-calibre self-propelled guns" took part in the massive show of force, KCNA said in its report on the huge display of firepower.
Kim supervised the exercises, in which artillery units, navy and airforce vehicles took part, and involved submarines firing torpedos, KCNA said.
"The brave artillerymen mercilessly and satisfactorily hit the targets and the gunshots were very correct, he said, adding that they showed well the volley of gunfire of our a-match-for-a-hundred artillery force giving merciless punishment to the hostile forces," KCNA added.Â
Pressure on China
After briefing senators in a highly unusual meeting at the White House, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats issued a statement that toned down military rhetoric and urged the international community to help find a solution to North Korea's nuclear threats.
US President Donald Trump aims to "pressure North Korea into dismantling its nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs by tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures with our allies and regional partners," the statement read.
"We are engaging responsible members of the international community to increase pressure on the DPRKÂ [North Korea] in order to convince the regime to de-escalate and return to the path of dialogue," the statement added.
Trump has been urging China to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.
Some observers believe Washington aims to exert more pressure on China by heightening concerns that a conflict could break out.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Tuesday night said Kim was leading a "semi-deranged regime in North Korea, bent on getting nuclear weapons that could one day be used to strike this country".
Telegraph, London; Reuters
0 comments
New User? Sign up