N Korea can strike US with nuclear electromagnetic pulse: Report

A recent US government report says North Korea could deliver on its threats to attack the United States with a nuclear electromagnetic pulse.

The report prepared by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pyongyang would use its Unha-3 rocket to attack the US from the south over the South Pole, said Peter Vincent Pry, executive director of the congressional advisory Task Force on security.

Pry, who has reportedly seen a copy of the report, said the Pentagon “has no early warning radars or interceptors” to stop a missile from the south.

The long-suppressed report remains blocked from release to the American public.

“The North Koreans are seeing what they can get away with,” media outlets quoted Pry as saying, adding, “It shows that Pyongyang is planning something big against the US.”

Senior North Korean officials have repeatedly stated that Washington is colluding with regional allies to topple the country’s government. Pyongyang has pledged to respond to any attempt of regime change.

Pyongyang has recently launched rockets and ballistic missiles and has also threatened to conduct a new nuclear test.

North Korea says it will take additional measures to demonstrate its might as long as threats from the US persist.

The developments come as South Korea and the US are currently conducting annual joint military drills, which Pyongyang has condemned as a rehearsal for invasion.

Last year’s maneuvers fuelled tensions, with Pyongyang threatening a pre-emptive nuclear strike and US stealth bombers flying over the peninsula.

An electromagnetic pulse attack entails the detonation of a nuclear warhead hundreds of miles above the earth’s surface. The resulting burst of energy can disrupt or destroy all electronic devices and defense systems in the affected area.