The U.S. issued an intense warning to North Korea over nuclear threats Friday.
In a Friday statement on the second U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Nuclear Consultative Group coming together in Washington, D.C., the White House warned that any “nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.” The Republic of Korea is the official name of South Korea.
“The United States reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK, backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities including nuclear,” the statement said.
The statement comes a few weeks after North Korea said it successfully launched a spy satellite that photographed the White House as well as Naval Station Norfolk and Newport News Shipyard in Virginia.
When the North Korean satellite was launched, the White House said it “strongly” condemned it, adding that the launch violated United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.
“The president and his national security team are assessing the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners,” the Biden administration said in a statement. “We urge all countries to condemn this launch and call on [North Korea] to come to the table for serious negotiations.”
North Korea has also warned that any interference with its spy satellite would be a “declaration of war.”
“Any attack on space asset of [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] will be deemed declaration of war against it,” a statement by a spokesperson for North Korea’s defense ministry read, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.