Tensions soar in Korea

TRUMP MOVES ARMADA: The North may conduct a nuclear or missile test on Saturday; China, South Korea urge caution

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has overseen a special forces commando operation, state media said on Thursday, as tensions soar with Washington over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

President Donald Trump has sent a naval “armada” to the Korean peninsula in a show of force, accompanied by a warning that Washington is ready to take on North Korea alone if necessary.

The North has since said it is ready for “war” with the US, while speculation is mounting that it might conduct a nuclear or missile test to mark the 105th birthday anniversary of founder Kim Il-Sung on Saturday.

The reclusive state has long been on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five atomic tests, two of them last year.

On Thursday, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim watched from an observation post as special forces dropped from light transport planes “like hail” and “mercilessly blew up enemy targets”.

The Rodong Sinmun — the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers’ Party — carried several photos from the contest including one of Kim watching the troops parachuting down from jets into an open field.

China — the North’s sole major ally — has urged the US president to take a peaceful approach to resolving the North Korean tensions.

Sabre-rattling between Washington and Pyonyang has unnerved China, which is losing patience with the North but whose priority remains preventing any instability on its doorstep. Seoul and Washington are currently conducting joint military drills, an annual exercise which is seen by the North as a practice for war.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the United States and China to put political pressure on North Korea over its nuclear programme, pressing for a peaceful resolution to escalating tensions.

— AGEncies