North Korea tells people to prepare for war with US

NORTH KOREA urged its people and armed forces to be ready for war yesterday, saying it could be the US military’s next target after Iraq.

The communist government in Pyongyang accused the US of planning to send reinforcements into its coastal waters as a precursor of invasion.

It fired a short-range missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Monday, further escalating tension in the region.

Washington has repeatedly said it wants a peaceful solution to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear activities, but says it leaves all options open.

The DPRK (North Korean) Foreign Ministry accused the US of planning war manoeuvres in South Korea so that it could attack the North.

“The US military strike against Iraq is just a matter of time,” it said. “The ceaseless sabre-rattling staged by the US in South Korea against this backdrop is creating an extremely tense situation where it may make a pre-emptive strike at the DPRK any time.

“This compels the army and the people of the DPRK to keep themselves in full readiness by using all means and possibilities necessary to cope with it,” the statement added.