North Korea Threatens Attack as U.S. Destroyer Tracks Ship to Myanmar

BY Michael Saul
DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Pyongyang issued fresh threats of retaliation Monday as U.S. warship tailed a North Korean cargo ship suspected of carrying missiles.

"As long as our country has become a proud nuclear power, the U.S. should take a correct look at whom it is dealing with," said a commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, which is regarded as a source of official viewpoints.

"It would be a grave mistake for the U.S. to think it can remain unhurt if it ignites the fuse of war on the Korean peninsula."

The newspaper also blasted President Obama's recent pledge to protect South Korea, saying it was an attempt to attack the North with atomic bombs.

According to YTN, the South Korean news network, the United States has deployed a Navy destroyer and is suing satellites to track a North Korean cargo ship, which was expected to travel to Myanmar via Singapore.

The ship is reportedly the first North Korean vessel to be tracked under new United Nations sanctions.

This mission comes as the Pentagon prepares for the possibility that North Korea may attempt to launch a missile toward Hawaii.

Last week, media in Japan reported the possibility of North Korea firing a missile over Japan in the direction of America's 50th state around the July 4th holiday.

"This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any contingencies," Obamas told CBS.

According to Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper, the Obama administration is considering sending former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to China to persuade officials there to enforce the United Nation sanctions against North Korea.

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