North Korea threatened that the Korean War may start up again, and this time they would destroy the U.S. in the process, according to a message sent from North Korea’s embassy in Moscow, Russia to the Russian state media outlet, TASS news agency.
“A new round of the Korean war will add a particularly sensational event to the history of mankind, which will put an end to another empire, whose name is the United States,” a translation of the North Korean embassy’s message to TASS reads.
TASS reported North Korea noted its strategic missiles and nuclear weapons “capable of mercilessly punishing those who dare to raise their hand at it, in whatever corner of the . . . planet he may be.”
The message suggested the heightened potential for war, based on U.S. military drills with South Korea.
“This year, the US military is deploying all sorts of military maneuvers in South Korea and in the areas adjacent to it, the main purpose of which is the movement and deployment of the American armed forces on the Korean peninsula from abroad and from the mainland and the quick delivery of an attack on the DPRK,” the translated message to TASS reads.
The North Korean message also comes just days before the 70-year anniversary of the start of the Korean War, on June 25, 1950.
The New York Post was the first U.S. outlet to report on the message between North Korea’s Moscow embassy and TASS. The Post noted the questionable nature of TASS reporting, and said TASS often acts as “a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin.”
However, recent events on the Korean peninsula have heightened the potential for renewed conflict.
North Korea recently demolished a liaison office used to facilitate discussions and cooperation between North Korea and South Korea. The liaison office had operated for the past two years amid denuclearization talks initiated by President Donald Trump. Those talks have since stalled.
North Korea also recently threatened to send armed troops toward demilitarized zones on its border with South Korea.
North Korea has offered other recent indications of potential conflict with South Korea, such as claims it had amassed anti-South propaganda leaflets “as big as a mountain.”
The North Korean claim in this case may serve as a threat of retaliation against North Korean defectors and South Korean activists who have engaged in the practice of dropping anti-North propaganda leaflets using drones and balloons. North Korea recently threatened to end a joint security agreement with the South as a result of the leaflet drops.
