On Sunday, North Korea issued a threat to the United States that it was “ready to sink” the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group “with a single strike.” The boast of military might was published in Rodong Sinmun, the official state-run newspaper of North Korea’s Ruling Workers’ Party, just days before the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group is expected to reach the Korean Peninsula to protect U.S. allies in the region against the North’s recent provocations.
“Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike,” a commentary in Rodong Sinmun read, as quoted by Reuters.
The newspaper also compared the USS Carl Vinson to a “gross animal,” adding that a strike on it would be “an actual example to show our military force.”
CNN reported that Rodong Sinmun also claimed Pyongyang’s weaponry “can reach continental US and Asia Pacific region,” though CNN could not verify those claims.
According to Reuters, the warning was published on the third page of the paper, with pages one and two featuring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a pig farm.
Following the Rodong Sinmun editorial on Sunday, the Pentagon called on the North to stop destabilizing the safety of the region.
“We call on (North Korea) to refrain from provocative, destabilizing actions and rhetoric, and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks,” Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said, according to CNN. “North Korea’s unlawful weapons programs represent a clear, grave threat to US national security.”
Late last week, Rodong Sinmun also issued a warning to the United States that North Korea was capable of launching a “super-mighty preemptive strike” against the U.S. and South Korea.
“In the case of our super-mighty preemptive strike being launched, it will completely and immediately wipe out not only U.S. imperialists’ invasion forces in South Korea and its surrounding areas but the U.S. mainland and reduce them to ashes,” the newspaper said, as quoted by Reuters.
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