Admiral Lord West of Spithead has said that there is a "real risk" of conflict between the US and North Korea, and has also warned that the UK government should advise British nationals living on the Korean Peninsula to leave the region.
"It is extremely worrying. I think that there is a real risk — by miscalculation, probably, more than anything else — of something happening that no one intends," Admiral Lord West told BBC Radio 4 in a recent interview.
"The results would be catastrophic. It would be hundreds of thousands if not millions, dying and, yes, we would be pulled into this," he added.
The ex-Navy chief hoped that his warning would act as a wake-up call for the international community to intervene in order to prevent a nuclear war.
US president Donald Trump has said that the military is "locked and loaded" after North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, threatened a nuclear attack.
As a result of the fierce battle talk between the two powers, the former Royal Navy chief said that the conflict is at its highest since the 1952 Korean War.
"When you start giving certain advice to your nationals, people start taking notice, and maybe China and others will say, 'Goodness me, this is really serious," Admiral Lord West said.
"I would set out a certain number of parameters, in terms of tension, if things change and say, 'You should now think about getting out and about other people you should think about not going there,' " he added.
Tensions have grown over North Korea's nuclear program after Pyongyang tested two intercontinental missiles in July 2017. This led to the United Nations imposing sanctions against North Korea.
