North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has warned the US he is ready to launch a “super-mighty preemptive strike”. State media launched the broadside as the ongoing war of words between Pyongyang and Washington DC continued. The announcement ominously warned the regime would “reduce America to ashes” and added: “Don’t mess with us.” But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to tone down America’s stance and said it is looking for ways to “bring pressure on the regime” to “re-engage”. The latest insults come just one day after footage emerged of a bizarre North Korean musical in which an American city destroyed by North Korean nukes.

A symphony orchestra played as one of Kim’s missiles hurtled into the US and revealed a smoldering Stars and Stripes flag. Military figures watched on gleefully as uniformed troops from the Korean State Merited Chorus belted out a series of tuneless numbers. And in a verse unlikely to make its way onto Broadway anytime soon, one warbled: “Our proud Hwasong rocket blasts off” and “it flies as quickly as a flash of lightning to challenge imperialism”. READ MORE


Advertisement