WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the military to prepare to use its nuclear weapons at any moment, according to reports from the country’s state media.
“This latest bout is probably not as surprising as it may seem. We have seen it before. Exactly what is happening is not clear, so far it is mostly talk as far as we can tell,” Treverton said of North Korea’s nuclear weapons alert.
He added that North Korea is a “real puzzle,” describing it as a “state that is essentially failed in every respect, but still has nuclear weapons.”
Pyongyang’s nuclear high alert followed less than 24 hours after the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to impose a tough new sanctions regime against the country for a recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launches. North Korea retaliated on Thursday with salvos of short-range missiles which it fired into the East Sea (Sea of Japan).