North Korea says it has entered a state of war against South Korea.
Jungah Lee of Bloomberg reports that state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement saying the U.S. stealth bomber flights over South Korea Thursday are an “unacceptable” provocation, and it is giving a “final warning” to U.S.
From South Korea's Yonhap news:
[KCNA] cited an emergency military meeting convened by leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday in which he reportedly approved plans for striking U.S. and South Korean targets.
Kim's "important decision" is an ultimatum to "hostile forces" and a final decision for justice, added the statement.
But the North stopped short of launching an actual attack immediately, saying its military is waiting for a final order by Kim.
The two Koreas have technically been at war since their 1950-53 conflict finished in a cease-fire (as opposed to a formal peace treaty).
North Korean threats are often for domestic consumption, but North Korean President Kim Jong-un has taken the bombast to a new level this year.
Early this morning Kim released photos which appear to show a missile strike plan to target four cities in the U.S.
In response to the U.S. B-2 bomber flights — an obvious show of force — Kim ordered his troops to actively lock on to South Korean and American targets in the Pacific.
Belligerent rhetoric from The Hermit Kingdom has been escalating ever since the UN Security Council levied biting sanctions against the country following a long-range rocket launch in December and a nuclear test in February.
Tensions reached a fever pitch this month as the U.S. and South Korea performed annual joint military exercises.
The U.S. has said that it takes North Korea's persistent threats seriously and has planned for the nuclear-armed country's collapse.
America has wartime operational control of the South Korean military in the event of any provocation.
It should be noted that all of this is just talk until shots are fired.
SEE ALSO: Here's 20,000 Well-Armed Reasons Why North Korea Should Chill Out
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