North Korea has placed their troops on standby with a threat of “a war” if either Japan or the US shoots down what many to believe to be a test-fire of a long-range missile.
As the US and South Korean troops kicked off their annual war games, this latest threat comes as no warning but more as a directive. This latest threat comes a week after Pyongyang made threats to South Korean passenger planes that would fly near its airspace.
Both, US and Japanese officials, have suggested they could shoot down the North Korean missiles if necessary. This comes as the North says that they will be pressing forward on plans to send a communications satellite into space. This launch is one that many feel is a cover for a long-range missile, capable of reaching Alaska.
“Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war,” reports
Korean Central News Agency in a statement by the general staff of the North's military.
Also, North Korean military personnel have been ordered to be “fully combat ready.”
Analysts say that the test-fire, whether it be a satellite launch or a missile, could occur either late this month or early in April.
