N. KOREA STEPS UP NUCLEAR THREAT

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea's nuclear threats are escalating amid South Korea-U.S. joint military drills. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader, and the Foreign Ministry released statements in a row, saying that the regime is always ready to take overwhelming actions, mentioning the possibly of a nuclear war and fierce physical clashes.

[Pkg]

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader, has threatened to use the Pacific Ocean as a shooting range depending on the U.S.' actions. She called the remarks made by the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command "absurd" when he said North Korea's ICBMs will be immediately struck down if they are fired into the Pacific Ocean. Kim threatened to take any interception of the North's strategic weapon tests conducted in international waters or airspace not under U.S. jurisdiction as a declaration of war. Kim added that the military actions of South Korea and the U.S. serve as preconditions for the North's response, and that the regime is always ready to take overwhelming actions. Her remarks apparently mean that Pyongyang plans to test its strategic weapons in response to the joint South Korea-U.S. military drills. Seoul's intelligence officials do not rule out the possibility of the North firing new solid-fuel ICBMs or testing its ICBMs at a normal angle.

[Soundbite] Shin Jong-woo(Defense Security Forum) : "N. Korea’s mentioning of the Pacific Ocean shows its desire to prove its capabilities to strike the U.S. mainland."

A statement issued recently by North Korea's foreign ministry also blamed the joint drills for tensions on the Korean Peninsula and called on the international community to stop them. The statement reads, "The risk of a nuclear war has escalated from a hypothesis to reality and there is no guarantee that fierce physical clashes will not happen.“

[Soundbite] Hong Min(Korea Institute for Nat’l Unification) : "N. Korea is trying to partially pass the blame for causing a situation where it is prompted to use nuclear weapons to S. Korea and U.S.. But on the other hand, it appears to be worried as well."

The National Intelligence Service told parliament that Pyongyang will likely hold large-scale drills combining nuclear and conventional weapons this month and next and launch a reconnaissance satellite in April.