Late last month, things got tense in the Korean Peninsula after an argument over a DMZ loudspeaker spiraled out of control. After two South Korean soldiers were wounded by North Korean landmines, the South began blasting propaganda messages over giant speakers on the border. When the North took a shot at one of the speakers, the South returned fire, providing Kim Jong Un with an opportunity to remind the world that he exists (something he is forced to do every now and again when geopolitical realities conspire to relegate the North Korean “menace” to the backburner).
That conflict came on the heels of a hilarious declaration by Pyongyang that the North was prepared to invade the US mainland in retaliation for joint military drills Washington was set to carry out with the South. As part of the planned invasion, Kim said the North was prepared to use “weapons unknown to the world.”
Well, the world may just get a look at one of these heretofore “unknown” weapons on October 10, which marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party. Kim reportedly plans to celebrate the milestone by launching an long-range ballistic missile.
But that’s not all.
The North’s atomic agency now says that Pyongyang has made good on its promise to restart its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, shut down since 2007. Here are some Yongbyon bullets from BBC:
