Here's my question: "Is the North Korean Submarine missing because it sank or because it has nuclear missiles on board to nuke the west coast of the U.S.?
Washington
(CNN)The North Korean regime lost contact with one of its submarines
earlier this week, three U.S. officials familiar with the latest
information told CNN. U.S. spy satellites, aircraft and ships have been
secretly …
First on CNN: U.S. says North Korean submarine missing
Story highlights
- The U.S. military had been observing the submarine operate off North Korea's east coast when the vessel stopped
- Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula following a fourth North Korean nuclear test and joint U.S.-South Korean military drills
Washington (CNN)The
North Korean regime lost contact with one of its submarines earlier
this week, three U.S. officials familiar with the latest information
told CNN.
The U.S. military had
been observing the submarine operate off North Korea's east coast when
the vessel stopped, and U.S. spy satellites, aircraft and ships have
been secretly watching for days as the North Korean navy searched for
the missing sub.
The U.S. is unsure if
the missing vessel is adrift under the sea or whether it has sunk, the
officials said, but believes it suffered some type of failure during an
exercise.
Tensions have heightened on
the Korean peninsula following a fourth North Korean nuclear test and
joint U.S.-South Korean military drills.
On Thursday, the South Korean military said North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles.
They were fired from North Hwanghae province, south of Pyongyang,
toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean Joint
Chiefs of Staff said. The South tracked the projectiles and is
monitoring the situation, it said.
Also
Thursday, the agency published a statement that "all agreements on
economic cooperation and business exchanges adopted by North and South
are invalid."
This comes after Seoul
last month ordered the closure of the Kaesong industrial complex, a rare
symbol of cooperation between the two Koreas.
Describing
the shuttering of Kaesong as a "unilateral" move, KCNA said Pyongyang
"will completely liquidate all South Korean companies and relevant
assets" within its borders.
Seoul
condemned the suspension of economic ties Thursday, with the Unification
Ministry saying in a statement it would "never accept" the move, which
it described as a "provocative action."
The statement added it would hold Pyongyang responsible for any damage to South Korean assets north of the border.
Meanwhile,
around 17,000 U.S. military personnel and 300,000 South Korean troops
are taking part in what the South Korean Defense Ministry described as
the "largest ever" joint military exercises.
North
Korea on Sunday warned it would make a "pre-emptive and offensive
nuclear strike" in response to the joint exercises. On Friday, KCNA
reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had ordered more tests to
improve his country's nuclear attack capability.
The South Korean military spokesman said the two allies were "closely monitoring" signs of North Korean provocation.
"As
of now, there are no direct signs of provocation, but we are planning
to continuously strengthen surveillance," Defense Ministry spokesman
Moon Sang-gyun said.
Last week, KCNA
reported that the North Korean leader said his country's "nuclear
warheads need to be ready for use at any time."
"Under
the extreme situation that the U.S. imperialist is misusing its
military influence and is pressuring other countries and people to start
war and catastrophe, the only way for our people to protect sovereignty
and rights to live is to strengthen the quality and quantity of nuclear
power and realize the balance of power," Kim said, according to the
KCNA.
While Pyongyang often issues
saber-rattling statements during annual U.S. and South Korean joint
exercises, "this year the level of anger is much greater," says Mike
Chinoy, a former CNN senior international correspondent and the author
of "Meltdown: The inside story of the North Korean nuclear crisis."
Chinoy told CNN he was concerned if North Korea "takes even a modest military step, the South will feel obliged to respond."
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