US will strike North Korea with nukes if Seoul ever...: South spy chief

South Korea's nominee for spy agency director Lee Jong-seok said the US could strike North Korea with nukes if Pyongyang launched a nuclear attack against South Korea, reported Reuters. Lee made the comments during a nomination hearing in which he was asked whether Washington would strike the North and put Americans at risk even knowing Pyongyang has intercontinental ballistic missiles. “Yes, that is my belief,” said Lee replying to the hypothetical question.

North Korea for long has been pursuing a nuclear programme and is said to have a stockpile of fissile materials to build atomic weapons. However, it is yet to test a missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead.

Lee will lead South Korea’s National Intelligence Service under new liberal President Lee Jae Myung who took office on June 4.

Is North Korea capable of attacking US?

According to experts, Pyongyang has the capability to hit the U.S. mainland with nuclear-armed missiles, reported The Week. North Korea has developed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the entire continental United States, the report further read. Some of the missiles have estimated ranges exceeding 15,000 km, depending on the warhead's weight.

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Reportedly, the North Korean army achieved this ambition in 2019. One of its ICBMs called the Hwasong‑15 has an estimated range of approximately 12,874 km and is capable of striking any part of the continental United States.

North Korea fires multiple rockets

Meanwhile, North Korea launched about 10 artillery rockets toward the Yellow Sea from the Sunan district near Pyongyang early Thursday, said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

This come after South Korea, the United States and Japan held their first trilateral air exercise under the newly elected President Lee Jae-myung.