DPRK vows to attack U.S., Japan, S Korea if its satellite intercepted

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Monday it will launch a war on the territory of the United States, Japan and South Korea, if its satellite launching "for peaceful purpose" was intercepted.

The DPRK "will launch without hesitation a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds of the U.S. and Japanese aggressors and the south Korean puppets who hatched plots to intercept it," the official KCNA news cited a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) as saying.

The spokesman issued a three-points statement on Monday. The firm-stand statement reiterated an "all-out confrontation" against the South Korea, vowing to strike back intruders.

It announced "a more strict military control" over the borders of the two Koreas and cut-off the north-south military communications

The DPRK has said it was going to shoot a communication satellite as part of a peaceful space program. But the U.S. and South Korean media alleged the DPRK was going to test-fire a ballistic missile "Taepodong-2," with a maximum estimated range of6,700 km, designed to carry a nuclear warhead that could hit targets on the U.S. territory.

The DPRK said it put an experimental satellite " Kwangmyongsong-1" into orbit in August 1998. But the U.S. believed it was a "Taepodong-1" missile test-launch.

昨天，美韩在韩国境内开始举行代号为“关键决心”的联合军事演习。作为回应，朝鲜昨天切断与韩国之间最后一条军事通信线路，而朝鲜人民军最高司令部也称，军演是某种类型的“宣战”，已下令所有军人做好作战准备。

朝鲜人民军总参谋部同一天警告，任何试图拦截朝鲜卫星的举动将被视为“战争”行为。韩国一些媒体据此推断，朝鲜可能于美韩联合军演期间发射卫星。

朝鲜人民军总参谋部昨天警告说，任何试图拦截朝鲜卫星的举动将被视为“战争”。总参谋部一名发言人在这份英文声明中专门点出美国、韩国和日本，称这3个国家已经动员庞大的地面和海上拦截系统，试图阻止朝鲜发射“用于和平目的的卫星”。

朝鲜宇宙空间技术委员会上月24日宣布，朝鲜将发射“光明星2号”试验通信卫星。但美、韩、日媒体不断猜测朝鲜将试射“大浦洞”2型洲际弹道导弹。美国官员警告朝鲜不要进行弹道导弹试验。日本政坛也出现“拦截”朝鲜导弹或卫星的声音。