North Korea has been making more threats toward its arch enemy, the United States, recently...
Pyongyang says it'll launch a nuclear attack on Washington and U.S. military bases if it ever feels threatened.
The U.S. government, however, barely gave it any attention... saying it'd be better for North Korea to try a more peaceful tact next time around.
Yoo Li-an reports. When asked about North Korea's recent threat to drop a nuclear bomb on the White House,... the U.S. State Department fell short from providing a detailed answer.
"I actually haven't seen that report with everything going on,... but it's fair to say that kind of inflammatory rhetoric is not a way to move towards a place in the world."
The White House also declined to comment on Pyongyang's threat,.... made during a large rally on Sunday by North Korea's top military official,... who accused Washington of raising tensions on the peninsula.
"Our military will launch nuclear-armed rockets towards the White House and U.S. military bases."
The latest threat comes amid criticism within the U.S. of the Obama administration's approach toward Pyongyang.
It centers around "strategic patience," and holding off on direct talks with the North Korean regime until concrete steps to denuclearize are taken.
But North Korea appears to be hunkering down.
"By mentioning the possibility of nuclear war,.... North Korea wants to show it will not be dragged around by the U.S. Instead of showing North Korea's nuclear capabilities, this shows it's frustrated that the nuclear issue is not being addressed or resolved."
Former U.S. State Department official Joel Wit told the Chosun Ilbo on Monday... that leaving North Korea alone over the past six years has been a mistake.
He said it's time the U.S open up high-level dialogue channels with Pyongyang.
Wit also warned of North Korea's growing military threats,... saying it will most likely finish preparations by the end of the year... on a rocket more powerful than the Unha-3 rocket that was test-fired two years ago.
Yoo Li-an, Arirang News.
