US has ‘crossed red line’, relations now on war footing, North Korea says
Han Song-ryol, director general of the US affairs department at the North’s Foreign Ministry warns a vicious showdown could erupt in next month’s US—South Korea war games
North Korea’s top diplomat for US affairs said on Thursday that Washington “crossed the red line” and effectively declared war by putting leader Kim Jong-un on its list of sanctioned individuals, and said a vicious showdown could erupt if the US and South Korea hold annual war games as planned next month.
Han Song-ryol, director general of the US affairs department at the North’s Foreign Ministry, said in an interview that recent US actions have put the situation on the Korean Peninsula on a war footing.
The United States and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises south of the demilitarised zone, and Pyongyang typically responds to them with tough talk and threats of retaliation.
The United States has crossed the red line in our showdown. We regard this thrice-cursed crime as a declaration of war
Han said North Korea believes the nature of the manoeuvres has become openly aggressive because they reportedly now include training designed to prepare troops for the invasion of the North’s capital and “decapitation strikes” aimed at killing its top leadership.
“The Obama administration went so far to have the impudence to challenge the supreme dignity of the DPRK in order to get rid of its unfavourable position during the political and military showdown with the DPRK,” Han said, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“The United States has crossed the red line in our showdown,” he said. “We regard this thrice-cursed crime as a declaration of war.”
