The threat - which was issued a few days ago by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to use nuclear weapons in response to any targeting of his country - was the clearest of all, and came in the context of tensions considered the most dangerous in years between Pyongyang on the one hand and the United States and its allies in the region, led by South Korea. and Japan.
This threat comes as Washington thinks that Pyongyang is preparing for a seventh nuclear test and is seeking to produce tactical nuclear weapons, in addition to dozens of nuclear warheads that it can almost certainly install on intercontinental missiles to target the US mainland, or on shorter-range missiles to strike US bases in South Korea. Japan in the event of a military confrontation.
During his recent supervision of the test of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile, among missile launches described as standard this year, Kim said that if "enemies" continue to pose any threat to the country, North Korea will respond to nuclear weapons with weapons. Similar and with a more comprehensive confrontation, according to what was reported by the official news agency.
Last October, Kim said that the aim of the missile launches was to test tactical nuclear strikes, and warned the United States of the consequences of attacking his country, saying that his forces would respond by striking American forces in Korea and Japan.
The Hwasong-17 missile has a range of 15,000 kilometers, and the North Korean agency described it as the most powerful strategic weapon in the world and aims to achieve nuclear deterrence, and is capable of striking the American depth.
However, estimates in Seoul and Washington state that the latest tests have failed, and that the process of developing this "giant" missile has not been completed.
Although the launch of this missile, developed from previous versions, did not pose an imminent threat to the United States or its allies, according to a statement by the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), since it only flew a distance of approximately 1,000 km in 69 minutes, this new step raises Washington's concern in view of Pyongyang's success in accumulating large missile and nuclear capabilities has become an existential threat to South Korea and a potential threat to the distant American mainland.
In light of the current tensions on the Korean peninsula, which on the ground have translated into mutual fire near the border and major maneuvers in the south with American participation and counterattacks in the north, questions are being raised whether Pyongyang has already gained the ability and the audacity to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.
Missiles and submarines
According to US, European and Chinese intelligence, North Korea has between 20 and 60 usable nuclear warheads, compared to a huge US arsenal of 6,800 nuclear warheads, according to the US news site "VOX".
Also, according to US intelligence, it is assumed that North Korea - which has been subject to severe international sanctions for several years - is now able to install a nuclear warhead on its intercontinental missiles, which can reach the US west coast, in addition to Hawaii and the "Guam" base in the Pacific Ocean and Alaska.
The Journal of Health Ethics stated - in a study it published in 2019 - that North Korean nuclear strikes on the 20 largest American urban centers would put 38% of the population at risk.
If up to 3 missiles of 250 kilotons each were fired, this would result in 9.7 million dead and 16.8 million injured.
The RAND Corporation also estimated that the use of some North Korean nuclear weapons may pose a great threat to the United States, as the use of some of these weapons against American or South Korean cities will lead to millions of victims and great losses.
In turn, "The Atlantic" magazine said that North Korea may use tactical nuclear weapons under the strategy of "escalation in order to reduce escalation," which the West says has become part of Russia's military doctrine.
In a previous report, Reuters quoted analysts as saying that what the North Korean leader wants is to produce a missile that can launch a nuclear warhead at least towards targets in the region, and that what he most aspires to is striking the cities of the American west coast, most likely from a submarine that can hide in the sea.
As for the British newspaper, The Guardian, it said that even before Pyongyang developed nuclear weapons, the Pentagon expected that 490,000 South Korean soldiers and 52,000 American soldiers would be killed during the first three months of any possible war with North Korea.
While a single 250-kiloton nuclear warhead strike on Seoul will kill 783,000 and injure two million and 700,000 others, a similar strike on Tokyo will kill 697,000 and injure two million and 400,000 others, according to estimates published by the specialized "38 North" website. affairs of North Korea and its environs.
tactical weapons
In the context, Bloomberg quoted Kim Jong Un as saying that his country wants to build an arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, which means small nuclear bombs that can be used on the battlefield instead of using them against entire cities.
Bloomberg said that would require small warheads to fit the growing array of short-range missiles with which Pyongyang threatens US forces and its allies in Asia.
A preemptive strike and a devastating response
Although some experts and analysts rule out that Kim would use a nuclear weapon against the United States, because that would appear - as they put it - as a "suicidal" act, others see the possibility of using the most lethal weapon in the event of a major conflict on the Korean Peninsula, with the possibility of China and Russia being drawn in. mechanism.
According to the "Politico" website, the North Korean leader may use nuclear weapons if war breaks out because not using them from the beginning will allow the United States to destroy them, which is almost the same as what was reported by the American journalist specializing in military affairs, Yoshi Drazen, according to experts he spoke to in 2018. During the tension between the Trump administration and North Korea.
As for the American news site Fox, he stated that Washington's response to any nuclear attack - by Pyongyang - would lead to the destruction of major cities in North Korea within hours.
And in 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that members of Donald Trump's team suggested a limited strike on North Korea's missile or nuclear arsenal in response to Pyongyang's actions.
And in recent years, US military officials have told Congress that there are two ways to confront the threat of North Korean missiles: the first is a preemptive strike targeting launch points in the event that the Pentagon verifies that there is an imminent launch, and the second is means of interception in Alaska and California in the event that Pyongyang succeeds in launching cruise missiles despite American strikes.
According to the South Korean Diplomatic Academy, Pyongyang's success in producing solid-fuel cruise missiles will make it difficult for the United States to counter the threat of a North Korean nuclear attack.
In statements he made years ago at a think tank in Washington, former US Secretary of Defense William Perry did not rule out that his country would enter a nuclear war if it carried out strikes on North Korea and the latter responded by striking its southern neighbor.
In July 2017, authorities in Hawaii activated a Cold War warning system of a possible nuclear attack after North Korea tested a missile capable of hitting the United States.
In September 2017, after North Korea tested its most powerful nuclear weapon - many times greater than the power of the two bombs dropped over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - then US Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned of a comprehensive US military response.
Missiles and nuclear warheads
Bloomberg quoted former Korean general Moon Song Mok as saying that he believed that the North Korean leader had succeeded in miniaturizing all nuclear warheads so that they could be installed on missiles.
Bloomberg said that Kim initiated a two-pronged nuclear strategy to develop tactical weapons for the Asia region, and other, much more powerful nuclear weapons for long-range missiles that could hit the US mainland.
The agency also quoted - according to the South Korean expert in missiles, Shang Yong-kyun - that the short-range missiles that Pyongyang tested in 2019 are designed to avoid interceptor missiles operated by the United States in the region, and are capable of hitting US military bases in South Korea in less than 5 minutes after launch.
And in 2017, North Korea announced its success - on the fourth of July, the American National Day - in testing a missile capable of reaching Alaska, and presented it as a gift to "American bastards."
In the same year, it tested a new intercontinental missile, "Hwasong-15", which can carry a "heavy weight warhead" capable of hitting the US mainland, according to Pyongyang.