North Korean state media warns of nuclear strike against U.S. if provoked


North Korean state media warned Tuesday that the isolated communist nation might launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. over any indication of a preemptive attack by a U.S. Navy strike heading toward nearby waters in the western Pacific. "Our revolutionary strong army is keenly watching every move by enemy elements with our nuclear sight focused on the U.S. invasionary bases not only in South Korea and the Pacific operation theatre but also in the U.S. mainland," North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said. South Korean acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn warned that Pyongyang might respond to rising tensions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs with "greater provocations," such as another nuclear test.
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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