North Korea Leader Ready For 'All-Out War'

Quirky Kim Unnerving For West

Updated: 7:20am UK, Friday 08 March 2013

By Mark Stone, Asia correspondent

The language emerging from the North Korean government is alarming; there's no doubt about that.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) will make a strike of justice at any target, anytime as it pleases without limit.

"(We) have everything - including lighter and smaller nukes.

"The US imperialists and their allies should not forget even for a moment that they are standing at the crossroads of their life and death.

"(We) will exercise our right to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressor.

"The world will see what tragic end awaits for the US imperialists … we can leave Washington engulfed in a sea of fire."

It's chilling stuff, if you take it seriously. And the problem is, Western governments are not entirely sure how to read it.

Is it just more rhetorical bluster albeit at a slightly higher level? Or is there a genuine threat?

In Washington last night President Obama's spokesman was asked how he could reassure Americans that North Korea won't drop a nuclear missile on American soil.

"I can tell you that the United States is fully capable of defending against any North Korean ballistic missile attack," Jay Carney said.

Reassuring. We hope.

The world seems to be agreed on one thing. Kim Jong-Un does not have the technological ability to create a nuclear armed ballistic missile. Yet.

His army does have hundreds of Nodong missiles that could reach American bases in Japan and South Korea. So a regional attack is entirely possible.

And here's the broader worry. The December rocket launch - under the pretext of putting a satellite into orbit - surprised the world. No one expected North Korea to manage it. It did.

The underground nuclear detonation last month was also more sophisticated than the previous two; the device used was smaller and yet more powerful.

North Korea wants to combine those two technologies - rockets and nuclear devices. If it can create a nuclear device small enough to put in the tip of a rocket then they have a missile and the world has a problem.

Just last week Mr Kim, who is only 28 years old, was hosting, joking and laughing with US basketball star Dennis Rodman. The two were apparently "getting wasted" together.

A week on and we're talking about that same man wanting to destroy the United States.

That just about sums up the nature of this problem. Mr Kim is quirky and unpredictable. And that is extremely unnerving.

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