North Korea warns that games could lead to uncontrollable nuclear war.
In an editorial published in a state newspaper this Sunday (20), the Kim Jong-un regime called the planned war games “reckless behavior” that is “leading the situation between the US and North Korea to an uncontrollable phase of nuclear war”; The editorial added that the military exercises are like “throwing gasoline on the fire”, and that the US would not be able to “dodge the attack” that the regime claims to be prepared to launch.
Carta Maior - With the US and South Korea poised to begin joint military exercises on Monday, today – and as the Trump administration attempts to ease tensions after the president threatened to bring “fire and fury” to North Korea – the Kim Jong-un regime published an editorial in a state-run newspaper on Sunday calling the planned war games “reckless behavior” that is “driving the situation toward an uncontrollable phase of nuclear war.”
The editorial added that the military exercises are like "throwing gasoline on a fire," and warned that the U.S. would not be able to "dodge the attack" that the regime claims to be prepared to launch.
“The Korean People’s Army is on high alert, fully prepared to contain the enemies,” the editorial continued. “Decisive steps will be necessary if the slightest sign of war is sighted.”
"If the US is lost in a fantasy that the war on the peninsula is knocking on the door of another country across the Pacific, it is more wrong than ever," the editorial concluded.
The US-South Korean military exercises are scheduled to last 10 days and will consist of 17.500 US troops and 50.000 South Korean troops.
As the Associated Press noted, the simulations “have more potential to provoke than ever before,” and some are calling for countries to “postpone or drastically modify the simulations to de-escalate hostilities on the Korean peninsula.”
Tensions between the US and North Korea are high as the North continues to develop its nuclear capabilities and as US President Donald Trump continues to stoke tensions by responding inappropriately. Trump recently suggested that his "fire and fury" analyses were not tough enough.
As a result, a growing number of politicians are calling for the "nuclear ball" to be taken away from Trump.
"No American president, certainly not Trump, should have the sole authority to start an unprovoked war," argued Senator Ed Markey (Democrat-Massachusetts).
According to a recent CBS News poll, nearly 60% of Americans are "uneasy" about Trump's ability to deal sensibly with North Korea, and the same percentage believe the U.S. should not be threatening Pyongyang with military action.
As Common Dreams has previously reported, activists and analysts have issued urgent calls for diplomacy in recent weeks as tensions have escalated. Failure to pursue diplomatic avenues could result in a "nuclear nightmare," some have warned.
“Time has proven that coercion doesn’t work,” wrote Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, recently. “There is an urgent need to hit the reset button on North Korea policy.”