North Korea Warns U.S. Actions Driving World 'To Brink Of Nuclear War'

WASHINGTON, DC — North Korea said Friday it will continue nuclear weapons testing despite U.S. warnings not to, increasing concerns that its rhetorical sparring and threats of military action by both countries would lead to an all-out war.

North Korea's military issued a statement Friday that threatened to destroy U.S. military bases in South Korea with attacks that could annihilate them "within minutes." President Trump's threats to "take care of" North Korea and his order deploying U.S. warships in waters off the Korean Peninsula were "maniacal military provocations," the military statement said.

North Korea’s vice minister, Han Song-ryol, said that the United States was “becoming more vicious and aggressive” under Trump and that “we will go to war if they choose.”

A report Thursday by NBC News added to the tension between the countries.

Senior intelligence officials disclosed that the United States is "prepared" to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea if U.S. officials believe another nuclear weapons test is imminent, the network reported. Officials in the White House disputed the report, and North Korea said that any U.S. attack would be answered with a "merciless" retaliatory strike that could lead to a nuclear war.

North Korea has conducted nuclear and ballistic missile tests since 2006 in an effort to develop a long-range missile capable of striking the United States with nuclear warheads. The regime's most recent test of a nuclear weapon was carried out in September of last year with apparent success. Experts have said North Korea may be able to produce missiles that reach the United States as early as 2020.

That progress is in large part responsible for U.S. aggressiveness over the most recent test of a ballistic missile, on April 5. In response to that action and in anticipation of North Korea conducting a sixth nuclear weapon test this weekend, the Pentagon sent the 97,000-ton USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier steaming to the region along with a guided missile cruiser and two destroyers.

U.S. officials believe the test may be carried out Saturday partly because satellite images have captured increased action on the mountain where North Korea conducted its previous five nuclear tests. Saturday is also April 15, the date celebrated as "Day of the Sun," an important North Korean holiday that marks the anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung. The date has typically been used by North Korea's leaders to display the country's strength by holding huge military parades and conducting weapons tests.

Trump described the Vinson Strike Group sent to the waters off the Korean Peninsula as an “armada” and said it includes submarines that are “far more powerful than the aircraft carrier.”

While Trump has threatened to "take care of" North Korea, he has issued no clear objectives that would define success in dealing with the regime. He and his top aides have sent conflicting signals about potential U.S. military involvement. Whether that's a result of diplomatic clumsiness or an orchestrated effort to confuse North Korea, the uncertainty has alarmed leaders in South Korea and Japan, whose citizens are in striking range of North Korea's existing weapons.

Complicating matters further, experts are uncertain of North Korea's claims that it is now capable of launching missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons.

After NBC reported that the U.S. was prepared to launch a preemptive strike, a senior Trump administration official told Reuters that the information was "flat wrong." Another U.S. official called it "speculative at best." The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, Anna Fifield, told a British newspaper that her sources indicated any U.S. strike was an option "as a retaliatory measure, not a pre-emptive one."

"Retaliation not guaranteed," she added.

The Defense Department issued a statement following the NBC report saying that it does not discuss future operations.

What is certain is that North Korea's nuclear efforts and the buildup of American forces have led to tensions that have reached a level of dangerousness. A mistake or miscalculation by leaders of either country could lead to all-out war.

"Regardless of what U.S. intentions are, there is uncertainty on the peninsula when you have three large militaries in close proximity to each other — and uncertainty can lead to miscalculation," Bruce Klingner, former chief of the CIA's Korea branch and now a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told CNBC.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, said that Trump's "sabre-rattling on North Korea" was cause for immediate Congressional involvement.

"Speaker Paul Ryan must call Congress back into session for classified briefings and debate," she said. "Congress must do its duty and honor our responsibility to the Constitution."

In a statement Thursday, North Korean officials warned of war.

“By relentlessly bringing in a number of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, the U.S. is gravely threatening the peace and safety and driving the situation to the brink of a nuclear war,” the statement read.

"This has created a dangerous situation in which a thermo-nuclear war may break out any moment."

Trump tweeted earlier this week that he hoped intervention by China could convince North Korea to scratch any testing plans.

"North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not we will solve the problem, without them!" he tweeted.

China, North Korea’s reliable ally, on Friday called for a cooling period before the conflict gets out of hand.

“We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether in words or actions, and not let the situation get to an irreversible and unmanageable stage," Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, told reporters in Beijing.

"Force cannot solve the problem, dialogue can be the only channel to resolve the problem."

Photo credit: Roman Harak