North Korea warns the US that shooting down one of its missiles would be "a declaration of war"

MADRID, 7 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The sister of the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has warned that a hypothetical demolition of one of his missiles by the United States would amount to a "clear declaration of war" and has anticipated "overwhelming" measures already in response to joint military exercises organized in the region.

Kim Yo Jong, a leading figure in the regime headed by his brother, has hinted that Pyongyang will not sit idle if Washington somehow intercepts the "strategic weapons" used in North Korean tests, as he believes they do not harm the security of no other countries and are conducted in areas "not within the jurisdiction of the United States."

Kim has responded in this way to an alleged warning launched by the commander of US troops in the region, John Aquilino, at a time of growing tension after the start of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

The North Korean regime, usually critical of these types of exercises, reserves the right to take "appropriate, swift and overwhelming actions" with which to respond to such maneuvers, according to Kim. Hours earlier, the North Korean Foreign Ministry had accused the United States of "intentionally" generating tension.

In these exercises, US forces have deployed a B-52H strategic bomber, capable of carrying atomic weapons, although both Washington and Seoul have insisted that these are routine actions that do not pose any direct threat to Pyongyang.