Pentagon: Nuclear attack on US or allies would ‘result in the end of the Kim regime’

On Thursday, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup and released a joint communique which said that any nuclear attack against Washington or its allies would “result in the end of the Kim regime.” This comes after a number of missile tests conducted by the North Korean government over the last two days.

In a joint communique released by the Defense Department, Austin said, “Any nuclear attack against the United States or its Allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.”

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This comes hours after the South Korean military said that Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, which may have failed. Subsequently, North Korea also fired two short-range missiles from near their capital city Pyongyang, the incident raised alarm in Japan and triggered evacuation warnings as the missile flew near two parts of the country.

The Secretary of Defence also addressed the press after the meeting and raised concerns about the recent missile launches by the Kim Jong-un government and said that these tests are “destabilizing to the region,” and reiterated its “ironclad” alliance with South Korea. This comes after North Korea’s “continued provocations” after a multi-day barrage of missile launches.

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Furthermore, hours after the latest test on Thursday, the US and South Korea announced that they would extend their air force exercise which will go on from Monday to Friday, “with respect to the North’s recent provocations,” said Austin. Notably, on Wednesday, North Korea also fired an unprecedented number of 23 missiles in a single day during the ongoing air force exercises between the US and South Korea.

(With inputs from agencies)

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