MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Gabriel stressed that the North Korean leader is threatening the whole region by conducting missile tests.
"A war on the Korean peninsula might be devastating, in the worst-case scenario it can result in more victims than the Second World War," Gabriel said in an interview to the Aachener Zeitung newspaper.
The statement comes after North Korea test fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean 733 miles east of Japan's island of Hokkaido. Shortly after the launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened that it was just a preview of a potential missile attack on the Pacific island of Guam which is home to several US military bases.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula has become aggravated in recent months due to Pyongyang's missile launches and nuclear tests, all conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. On August 5, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2371, which further tightens sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests conducted in late July.
