US and S Korea raise military alert over North
The North also accused the US of preparing to attack the isolated communist country in the wake of its second nuclear bomb test, and warned it would retaliate to any hostility with “merciless” and dangerous ferocity. Seoul moved a 3,500-tonne destroyer into waters near the Koreas’ disputed western maritime border while smaller, high-speed vessels were keeping guard at the front line, South Korean news reports said. The defence ministry said the US and South Korean militaries would increase surveillance activities.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, positioned artillery guns along the west coast on its side of the border, the Yonhap news agency said. The joint chiefs of staff in Seoul refused to confirm the reports.
