North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Threatens to retaliate ahead od South Korea-US drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issues threat to retaliate ahead of South Korea-US drills

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to launch a powerful retaliatory strike against South Korea if provoked, state media said Sunday, a day before the start of annual South Korean-U.S. military drills that Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal.

South Korean and U.S. officials have said the 12-day, largely computer-simulated war games are defensive in nature.

The reported threat came a day after a senior U.S. envoy said ties between the rival Koreas must improve before the United States and North Korea can achieve real progress in their relationship.

Kim, supreme commander of the North’s 1.2 million-member military, made the comment during a visit to front-line military units, including one that shelled a South Korean island in 2010, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

“He ordered them to make a powerful retaliatory strike at the enemy, should the enemy intrude even 0.001 millimeter into the waters of the country where its sovereignty is exercised,” KCNA said. It did not say when Kim visited the units.