North Korea Declares Readiness For War Amidst Escalating Tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared his country’s readiness for war, amidst escalating global tensions around a number of contentious issues.

This is even as he supervised the firing of “cutting-edge” hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang’s nuclear forces for war, state media reported Monday.

The report said “geopolitical crisis” made the test even more urgent in a clear nod to this weekend’s US attack on Venezuela.

Seoul and Tokyo said Sunday they had detected the launch from near Pyongyang of two ballistic missiles — the country’s first test of the year just hours before South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung headed to Beijing for a summit.

Lee has said he hopes to use his visit to harness China’s clout over North Korea to improve Seoul’s ties with Pyongyang.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed “the readiness of the DPRK’s nuclear forces”, referring to North Korea by its official name.

“Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war,” Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.

Pyongyang’s activity, he said, was “aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis”.

Photos shared by state media showed Kim puffing on a cigarette accompanied by top officials as a missile soars into the early morning sky.

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“Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events,” Kim was quoted as saying, a clear reference to Washington’s weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The operation represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea’s leadership, which has long feared a so-called “decapitation strike” of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.

Pyongyang condemned it Sunday as a “serious encroachment of sovereignty” that “clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US”.

Pyongyang has for decades justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington.