Pyongyang warns of nuclear war due to South Korea-US provocations

North Korea says it is informing the United Nations of an imminent nuclear war on the Korean peninsula due to provocations from Washington and Seoul.

“Our people and army are entering the final stage of preparations for war against the United States to defend their country’s dignity and sovereignty,” the North Korean foreign ministry said in a Tuesday statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the KCNA also reported that top North Korean leaders are scheduled to meet in the coming days to make a decision on an “important” issue.

According to the agency, the Political Bureau of the Communist Party’s Central Committee will hold its meeting before the end of March in a move to “discuss and decide an important issue for victoriously advancing the Korean revolution.”

The date of the meeting and the issue to be discussed have not been specified, yet. However, analysts in South Korea believe decisions on international relations, security and also the reshuffling of personnel will be made at the meeting.

This comes as in a separate statement on Tuesday, the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army said that it has elevated its artillery and strategic missile forces to “combat-ready posture,” adding that it was ready to strike US territory.

North Korea said it would “show off our army and people’s stern reaction to safeguard our sovereignty and the highest dignity through military actions.”

In reaction to the comments, Pentagon spokesman George Little said that, “We are concerned by any threat raised by the North Koreans,” adding, “We take everything they say and everything they do very seriously. They need to stop threatening peace — that doesn’t help anyone.”

On March 11, Seoul and Washington launched a week-long annual joint military maneuver near the Korean Peninsula despite warnings from Pyongyang. The maneuver involved 10,000 South Korean soldiers and about 3,000 US troops.