N Korea Urges South Evacuation, Warns of Nuclear War, Japan Prepares

Local Editor

North Korea on Tuesday urged foreigners living in South Korea to consider evacuating, saying there was a risk of "thermo-nuclear war" breaking out on the Korean peninsula.
The warning followed a similar evacuation advisory the North gave Friday to foreign embassies in Pyongyang, saying it could not ensure the safety of their personnel if war broke out.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is heading for a thermo-nuclear war," said Tuesday's statement which was attributed to the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.

"In the event of war, we don't want foreigners living in South Korea to get hurt," said the statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
It urged "all foreign organizations, companies and tourists to work out measures for evacuation."

After last week's embassy warning, most governments involved made it clear they had no immediate plans to withdraw personnel from their Pyongyang missions and some suggested the advisory was a ruse to fuel growing global anxiety over the current crisis on the Korean peninsula.

On the other side, Japan deployed missile-defense systems at three sites around Tokyo early Tuesday ahead of a possible missile launch by North Korea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

The Patriot missile batteries were set up in the central district of Ichigaya and in the suburbs of Asaka and Narashino, Suga told reporters Tuesday. The deployments come as US and South Korean officials warn Pyongyang could be preparing for another provocative move after weeks of belligerent rhetoric.

Suga had said Monday that the Japanese government would not publicize any missile-defense deployment, saying "It would show our strategy to North Korea."
The comments came a day after North Korea said it would pull out all its workers and temporarily suspend operations at the industrial complex it jointly operates with the South, the latest sign of deteriorating relations on the Korean Peninsula.

The North said it would also consider permanently closing down the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a shared manufacturing zone that is the last major symbol of cooperation between the two countries.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org