N. Korea Warns Foreigners To Leave South, Escape "Thermo-Nuclear War"

North Korea issued a new threat today, read out on North Korea’s state television in a bulletin that interrupted normal programming.

The message, reported by the KCNA news agency, said that once war broke out “it will be an all-out war, a merciless, sacred, retaliatory war to be waged by (North Korea):

“It does not want to see foreigners in South Korea fall victim to the war,” the agency quoted the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee as saying.

“The committee informs all foreign institutions and enterprises and foreigners, including tourists…that they are requested to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety.”

In a separate announcement, North Korea said that it would “launch a missile tomorrow” likely a test firing of some kind. That’s been the usual pattern..bellicose rhetoric followed by an act of aggression like a missile test…although the Norks have been increasing their aggression each time, combining nuclear tests with activities like sinking a South Korean naval vessel and shelling a South Korean island.

Right now, there are still about 28,000 U.S. military in South Korea, mainly stationed along the DMZ.So far, for all the talk of war, North Korea appears – and underline that word – to have not mobilized it’s conventional forces, which far outnumber the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

The South Korean capital of Seoul is within easy reach of North Korean artillery let alone missiles, but so far no diplomats have left and the bustling city appears to be engaging in business as usual, although I’m certain their military is on alert.

The same goes for Japan, where 3 Patriot Missile batteries co-developed by the U.S. and Israel have been deployed the protect the Kanto Plain, where most of Japan’s big cites including Tokyo are and where most of its population lives.

Another unit has been stationed in Okinawa, site of U.S. bases as well as a place where Japan’s south can be protected.

“The government is making utmost efforts to protect our people’s lives and ensure their safety. As North Korea keeps making provocative comments, Japan, cooperating with relevant countries, will do what we have to do. For the moment, the most important thing is to implement sanctions under the UN Security Council resolutions,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.

North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung’s birthday is on April 15th, which could be the trigger for another North Korean ‘demonstration.’

Stay tuned….