North Korea has allegedly been placed under martial law and its
ruler Kim Jong-un has ordered the army to “prepare for war”, a South
Korean daily claims.
The North Korean leader issued a series of orders to his top defense
and security officials on Saturday to conclude preparations for a new
nuclear test, the Seoul based Korea JoongAng Daily alleges citing an
unnamed source.
The source reportedly said that Kim Jong-un issued a secret order to
“complete preparations for a nuclear weapons test <…>and carry it out soon”.
According to the source, Kim Jong-un also said,
“The country will be under martial law starting from midnight January
29th and all the frontline and central units should be ready for war.”
The
source told the South Korean daily that the nuclear test could come
earlier than expected. Other analysts have said it would likely be held
on February 16th, the birthday of the former leader Kim Jong-il, who
died in 2011.
Another suggestion as to the test’s timing
included February 25th, the inauguration day of South Korean
President-elect Park Geun-Hye, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
North Korean media also reported that Kim Jong-un told his top defense officials to take
“effective, high-profile state measures” at a meeting on Saturday.
The
alleged measures come amid a new spike in tensions caused by a new
round of sanctions on North Korean entities and individuals, including
travel bans and asset freezes, which were passed unanimously by the
United Nations Security Council in December 2012.
The
Security Council, including China, backed Resolution 2087, after
Pyongyang carried out the launch of a long range rocket in December
2012.
Pyongyang claimed it was for the peaceful launch of a
satellite, but critics say it was a thinly veiled test-firing of an
intercontinental ballistic missile.
Since the resolution was
approved North Korea has issued a number of warnings, including a
statement on the day it was implemented, that there will be
“no more dialogue or denuclearization.” It also threatened
“all-out war” against Washington, which it said was its sworn enemy and blamed for leading the sanctions.
However, the source also said that Kim Jong-un is concerned about China’s reaction to a nuclear test.
“China is still useful to us. We need to be careful of the relationship with China,” Kim allegedly said at the meeting.
A
South Korean government official told reporters Wednesday that
satellite images had discovered increased activity and movement of
equipment near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northwest of the
country and that the mouth of the test shaft had been sealed in
readiness for a nuclear test.
According to the report in the
Korea JoongAng Daily, the South Korean military, as of Tuesday, had not
detected any movements in North Korea’s frontline units.
The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, has ordered the military to make a
“strong response” to any provocation from North Korea.
The
last time North Korea was placed under martial law was in March 1993,
just days before it withdrew from the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons, and the regime also ordered its troops to be ready
for war.
North Korea carried out its first nuclear test in October 2006 and conducted a second underground blast in May 2009.
There
is also international concern about whether Pyongyang will use
highly-enriched uranium to get better results in its third nuclear test.
Previous tests used plutonium, were detonated underground, and had
reportedly limited success.
http://rt.com/news/martial-law-north-korea-180/
North Korea ‘under martial law’; troops readying for war ahead of nuclear test
This
screen grab taken from North Korean TV on January 1, 2013 shows North
Korea’s young leader Kim Jong-Un delivering a rare address in Pyongyang.
North Korea has been placed under martial law and Jong-Un has told his
front-line troops to “be ready for a war,” according to South Korean
media reports.
Photograph by: NORTH KOREAN TV
, AFP/Getty Images
North
Korea has been placed under martial law and Kim Jong-un has told his
front-line troops to “be ready for a war,” according to South Korean
media reports.
In an emergency meeting of his top defence and
security officials on Saturday, the North Korean leader issued a series
of orders that included the conclusion of preparations for a new nuclear
test, the Joongang Daily reported.
North Korean state media has also reported that Kim ordered his officials to take “effective, high-profile state measures”.
While
it has been anticipated that Pyongyang will go ahead with what will be
the regime’s third nuclear test, in spite of international pressure to
refrain from doing so, analysts had predicted that the blast would be
timed to coincide with the birthday on February 16 of Kim Jong-il, the
former leader who died in late 2011, or the inauguration of the new
government in South Korea nine days later.
The reports now suggest that the demonstration of North Korea’s nuclear prowess is more imminent.
In
March 1993, North Korea placed the nation under martial law shortly
before it announced it was withdrawing from the Treaty in the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The regime also ordered its troops
to be ready for war.
Pyongyang’s preparations have been
corroborated by South Korean government officials and sources in
Beijing, with surveillance images suggesting that the mouth of the shaft
has been sealed in readiness for the test at the Pyunggye-ri site.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006 and carried out a second underground detonation in May 2009.
This
latest test is in direct response to international criticism of its
launch of a rocket in December that Pyongyang claimed was for peaceful
purposes. The United Nations Security Council concluded unanimously that
it was a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Lee
Myung-bak, the president of South Korea, ordered the military to be
ready to make a “strong response” to any provocation from North Korea.
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.canada.com/news/North+Korea+under+martial+troops+readying+ahead+nuclear+test/7902400/story.html
