U.S. tells North Korea it is prepared to go to war
The U.S. warned North Korea that it is ready to fight if provoked, as Pyongyang claimed another weapons-development breakthrough following its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile a day earlier.
The regime, having demonstrated its capacity to reach the U.S. with a missile, on Wednesday touted another achievement of the test launch: It claimed that its missile warhead--the forward section, which carries the explosive--can withstand the extreme heat and pressure of re-entering the earth's atmosphere.
If true--the claim couldn't be independently verified--that would clear another hurdle in developing a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach American cities.
As tensions between Washington and Pyongyang rose, Gen. Vincent Brooks, the top American military commander in South Korea, said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S. and South Korea are prepared to go to war with the North if given the order.
"Self restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war," Gen. Brooks said. "We are able to change our choice when so ordered....It would be a grave mistake for anyone to believe anything to the contrary."
Earlier in the day, allied armies conducted a rare live-fire drill, launching tactical surface-to-surface missiles off the east coast of Korea--an action they said was aimed directly at "countering North Korea's destabilizing and unlawful actions on July 4."
Washington has considered military action against North Korea, but pulling the trigger presents serious risks. Seoul, a city of 10 million, sits just 35 miles from the North Korean border, where Pyongyang has assembled artillery that could inflict devastating damage on the densely populated South Korean capital.
Meredith Sumpter, director of Asia for Eurasia Group, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday that the odds of a U.S. military strike on North Korea remain low--about a 10% probability--adding it would probably be well-signaled by the U.S. and "clear to outside observers in advance of any military move."
The U.S. has been making shows of force in recent months in response to perceived increases in tension on the Korean Peninsula. In April, it said it was sending the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group to the western Pacific to underscore Washington's commitment to the region. In that case, the announcement instead raised questions about U.S. credibility after it came to light that the aircraft carrier was thousands of miles away.
And twice in May, the U.S. sent B-1B bombers on flyovers near the Korean Peninsula. Each came shortly after a North Korean missile test.
Write to Jonathan Cheng at jonathan.cheng@wsj.com