North Korea 'ready for nuclear attack' amid show of force

North Korea has warned the US not to take
provocative action in the region, saying it is
"ready to hit back with nuclear attacks".
The comments came as North Korea marked the
105th anniversary of the birth of its founding
president, Kim Il-sung.
Soldiers, tanks and other military hardware were
paraded in Pyongyang in a show of strength on
Saturday.
It comes amid speculation that the current leader,
Kim Jong-un, could order another nuclear test.
"We're prepared to respond to an all-out war
with an all-out war," North Korean military official
Choe Ryong-Hae said, adding: "We are ready to
hit back with nuclear attacks of our own style
against any nuclear attacks."
North Korea staged an extravagant display of
military strength at Saturday's parade amid
concern that mounting tensions in the region
could lead to a conflict with the US.
Rows of military bands and columns of troops
marched into Pyongyang's main Kim Il-sung
square in the heart of the city.
North Koreans celebrate leader amid
tensions
Trump's steep learning curve
Read more about North Korea's missile
programme
On display for the first time were what appeared
to be submarine-launched ballistic missiles
(SLBMs), which could be developed to house
nuclear warheads capable of reaching targets
around the world.
With concerns that the state is getting closer to
successfully producing a nuclear arsenal,
Saturday's parade was an opportunity for Mr Kim
to broadcast North Korea's current military
capabilities.
The event made clear how vital the state's
nuclear programme is to its future ambitions as it
continues to ignore growing pressure from the US
to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.
Tensions are high after the US military recently
ordered a navy strike group to move towards the
Korean peninsula.
North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and
a series of missile launches. Experts and
government officials believe it is working to
develop nuclear-warhead missiles that can reach
the US.
On Friday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi
warned that "conflict could break out at any
moment", adding that if war occurred there could
be no winner.
China, North Korea's only backer, fears conflict
could cause the regime to collapse and problems
on its border.
"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," Mr Wang
said.
Adding to Chinese unease, US President Donald
Trump said on Thursday that "the problem of
North Korea" would be "taken care of".
"If China decides to help, that would be great. If
not, we will solve the problem without them!
U.S.A."
The US president has recently demonstrated his
willingness to resort to military methods. He
ordered a cruise missile attack on Syria in
retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons
attack, and the US military just used a huge
bomb against so-called Islamic State in
Afghanistan.