[Yonhap News Photo]
North Korea warned of an unheralded pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States amid reports on preparations for a fresh missile test, three weeks after the nuclear-armed country launched what it claimed to be a workable intercontinental ballistic missile.
The North's apocalyptic threat was contained in a speech from North Korea's defense minister Pak Yong-sik at a rally in Pyongyang to mark the 64th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
North Korea is ready to stage a nuclear attack on the heart of the US "without warning or prior notice" if Washington misjudges Pyongyang's strategic status and sticks to the option of staging a pre-emptive nuclear attack, Pak was quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The rally was attended by top party, government and military cadres, but leader Kim Jong-un was absent, KCNA said. The armistice, signed on July 27, 1953, left the two Koreas technically at war. Pyongyang has celebrated July 27 as " Victory Day".
US and South Korean troops have maintained a close watch on North Korea's troop movements following reports that vehicles carrying equipment for the launch of a ballistic missile were detected.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
