In a potentially concerning geopolitical development, Reuters reports that foreign journalists visiting North Korea have been told to prepare for a "big and important event" on Thursday, although the wire service says there were "no indications it was directly linked to tensions in the region over the isolated state's nuclear weapons program."
According to Channel News Asia reported Jeremy Koh, "we've been told to be ready to move out at 620am, but no idea why. Also, no cell phones allowed."
As a reminder, April 15 marks the nation's 105th birthday of founding president Kim Il Sung, North Korea's biggest national day called "Day of the Sun", and around 200 foreign journalists are in Pyongyang to cover it, however why North korea would urge particular attention to a day that falls two days earlier was unclear, although there is precedent: In April, 2012, North Korea attempted to launch a long-range rocket ahead of the 100th Day of the Sun. State media later confirmed the launch had failed.
The mystery grew when officials gave no details as to the nature of the event or where it would take place. That said, similar announcements in the past have been linked to relatively low-key set pieces. In 2016, Reuters adds, foreign journalists underwent hours of investigation by North Korean officials ahead of what turned out to be a pop concert to mark the finale of a ruling Workers' Party congress.
Meanwhile, tensions are running high, with a U.S. Navy strike group steaming toward the western Pacific in a show of force and North Korea warning of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of American aggression.
In a striking development involving the rapidly changing North Korean geopolitical situation, moments ago Voice of America reporter Steve Herman stated that according to US government and other sources, North Korea has "apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time."
China has put its military on “nationwide alert” while ordering 25,000 more troops to prepare to be sent to the North Korean border as tensions build.
Citing the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, a nongovernmental organization in Hong Kong, the Oriental Daily News reports that Beijing has ordered troops from all five of its military regions to be on high alert due to the escalating crisis in the region.
“Armored and mechanized infantry brigades in the provinces of Shandong, Zhejiang and Yunnan received the state mandate,” reports UPI.
Around 25,000 troops of the Chinese military’s 47th group army of the Ninth Armored Brigade have also been told to prepare to travel long distances close to the North Korean border, while other troop divisions may also have been mobilized.
The new maneuvers follow earlier reports that China deployed 150,000 troops along the North Korean border on Sunday.
Yesterday, an editorial in the Global Times, which is widely seen as a mouthpiece for the ruling Chinese Communist government, let slip that Beijing was prepared to carry out its own strike on North Korea’s nuclear facilities if the Stalinist state crossed a “bottom line”.
According to this new story from Pravda, Kim Jong Un has ordered the immediate evacuation of 600,000 people from Pyongyang, North Korea's capital city. Ordering 25% of the population to leave the city immediately, we see what looks to be more preparation for war from the NKorean leader despite China's recent threats.:
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un ordered 25 percent of Pyongyang residents to leave the city immediately.
In accordance with the order, 600,000 people should be urgently evacuated. Experts note that the evacuation will most likely be conducted due to extremely strained tensions in relations with the United States of America.
Reportedly, Pyongyang's bomb shelters will not be able to accommodate the entire population of the North Korean capital. Therefore, 600,000 people - mostly individuals with criminal records - will have to leave Pyongyang to let others use bomb shelters.
In accordance with the order, 600,000 people should be urgently evacuated. Experts note that the evacuation will most likely be conducted due to extremely strained tensions in relations with the United States of America.
Reportedly, Pyongyang's bomb shelters will not be able to accommodate the entire population of the North Korean capital. Therefore, 600,000 people - mostly individuals with criminal records - will have to leave Pyongyang to let others use bomb shelters.
In this April 9th story from the Yonhap News Agency they reported that North Korea has resumed a radio broadcast of random numbers, believed to be sending encrypted messages to their spies around the world. It was the 31st such broadcast since June 24th of 2016 amid escalating tensions with South Korea and as they report, NKorea had earlier suspended such clandestine broadcasts all the way back in 2000. You can hear the broadcast of a previous series of numbers read out in NKorea in the 2nd video below in what the Daily Mail story called "chilling coded radio messages to Kim Jong Un's spies in the dead of night".
Coming as tensions with NKorea reach a fever peak with even China threatening to bomb NKorea's nuclear facilities if they cross China's 'bottom line' while President Trump sends a naval armada to the region while NKorea's Kim warns of a nuclear strike if provoked, we see why experts warn we're only one 'accident' away from the powder keg exploding.
Are there North Korean spies here in America and were they the recipients of these encrypted messages? Knowing that China has decided to get into the mix may be exactly what the world needs to help keep Kim in his place yet if war develops on that front, we continue to pray that Trump and the Pentagon are prepared to take down the two NKorean satellites that fly over America several times daily, reportedly capable of delivering an EMP strike upon America that would officially kick off 'the final days'.
The heat is on, and the war drums are banging louder than ever, in recent memory. The latest information coming from North Korea is that 600,000 residents have been ordered out of Pyongyang. Japan motioned for its ships to join the US Navy fleet. North Korean satellite images show new movement at the countries infamous nuclear test site.
North Korea is not backing down and has cautioned the US, stating that provocation will be met with a firm response from the Korean nation. China chimed in and created a new ‘bottom-line’ for N. Korea; saying that if N. Korea negatively impacts China with its illicit nuclear activities, the latter will respond with force. Japan also chimed in and is sending several warships to join the USA for military drills.
The USA is also preparing seal team six, to decapitate the regime and remove Kim Jong-Un from power, the skilled US Navy Seal team is conducting “field training operations” in South Korea.
Two sources informed Reuters and the Kyodo news agency that several destroyers from Japan are heading to join the USS Carl Vinson.
As for the time being, there is a potential situation unfolding on the Korean peninsula, as hundreds of foreign journalists visiting North Korea have been told to prepare for a “significant and important event” on Thursday.
Amid attempts to “clarify areas of sharp difference,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted the Trump administration’s “ambiguous and contradictory” foreign policy at the start of talks with Tillerson in Moscow Wednesday calling the demand for the Kremlin to abandon Assad “absurd.” Furthermore, he warned Tillerson that Russia “believes it’s fundamentally important not to let these actions happen again.”
Russia pushed back against demands that it abandon Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over a chemical-weapons attack as Bloomberg reports that the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin is likely to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Putin complained that relations with the U.S. are worse than under President Barack Obama, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the Trump administration’s “ambiguous and contradictory” foreign policy at the start of talks with Tillerson in Moscow Wednesday.
Trust between Russia and the U.S. under Trump “at the working level, especially at the military level, hasn’t improved; rather it’s deteriorated,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript published Wednesday of an interview with the Mir TV channel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. It’s “quite absurd” to demand that Russia abandon Assad as this would mean ending support for his forces that are fighting against Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria, Peskov said. In remarks before a closed-door session, as The Wall Street Journal reports, Mr. Lavrov appeared to warn Washington not to strike Syria again.
“Putin has built his reputation on never conceding to any public pressure,” said Gleb Kuznetsov, a political expert and consultant to the Kremlin on domestic policies. “An ultimatum will lead to Putin strengthening his support for Assad and this will intensify the Syrian conflict, turning it into a conflict between the West and Russia.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment