Denouncing US for deploying naval strike group to the Korean Peninsula, North Korea on Monday said that it was ready to react to any mode of war desired by Washington.
The United States cancelled a planned trip of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group to Australia this weekend and asked them to head toward Korean Peninsula.
"We will hold the US wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions," a spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency late Monday.
"This goes to prove that the US reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase of its scenario. If the US dares opt for a military action, crying out for 'pre-emptive attack' and 'removal of the headquarters,' the DPRK is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US," he added.
The statement comes just after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said US missile strikes against a Syrian air base in retaliation for a chemical weapon attack carry a message for any nation operating outside of international norms.
Tillerson didn't specify North Korea, but the context was clear enough.
"If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken," Tillerson told ABC's "This Week."
North Korea has long claimed the US is preparing some kind of assault against it and justifies its nuclear weapons as defensive in nature.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, described the decision to send the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group to Korean peninsula as a “prudent” move.
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