North Korea: Washington warns nuclear attack will ‘end’ Pyongyang regime

Like an extra shot. “Any nuclear attack” by Pyongyang on the United States or its allies will lead to “the end of the Kim regime,” North Korean leader Jong Un warned Washington again on Saturday amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The United States reaffirmed its “enduring commitment” to Seoul, relying on the “full range of American capabilities, including nuclear” to provide “deterrence,” the White House said in a statement.

“Any North Korean nuclear attack against the United States or its allies will be unacceptable and will lead to the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime,” she added after a meeting between American officials and the South Koreans, promising a “swift, overwhelming and decisive response.”

Consistent reminders

In April, US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yun Seok-yeol, who visited Washington at the time, already warned Pyongyang of a “nuclear response” and the “end” of the regime if the latter used its own arsenal. South Korea, an ally of the United States and Japan on this issue, again warned North Korea on Wednesday that it would suffer “horrific destruction” if it engaged in “reckless” actions on the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington announced last week “new trilateral initiatives” to counter Pyongyang, including an operation to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches. For its part, North Korea launched its first spy satellite into orbit last month after threatening the United States and South Korea that they were “on the brink of nuclear war” on the peninsula. In September, North Korea enshrined its status as a nuclear state in the Constitution.

In November, Washington and Seoul revised their 2013 strategic military agreement for the first time in a decade to allow the two allies to “contain and more effectively respond to the development of nuclear capabilities” by Pyongyang.