South Korea on heightened alert

North Korea’s diminishing ability to launch a rocket or missile without having it explode seconds later has raised suspicions that the United States has managed to infiltrate Pyongyang’s computer systems through a sophisticated cyber-attack program.

The council demanded that North Korea should not to conduct further nuclear tests, adding illegal missile activities were “greatly increasing tension in the region and beyond”.

“The era of strategic patience is over”, Pence said aboard a USA aircraft carrier in Japan.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent months after North Korea conducted two nuclear weapons tests previous year and carried out a steady stream of ballistic missile tests. US President Donald Trump made an offer to Chinese President Xi Jinping that there will be better trade terms between the two if China puts North Korea’s threatening behaviour to rest.

North Korea has said it will conduct nuclear and missile tests when it sees fit. Their concert included songs with such lyrics as “our proud Hwasong rocket blasts off” and “flies as quickly as a flash of lightning to challenge imperialism”, according to South Korean newswire Yonhap.

Pyongyang didn’t carry out a nuclear test – as had been widely expected – to mark the birthday celebrations for its late founder and the current leader’s grandfather Kim Il Sung last weekend.

China also understands the American imperative to prevent a nuclear-armed North Korea.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres separately said “everything” must be done to confront the threat from North Korea and ensure that its missile and nuclear programs do not pose an global threat. “If you threaten them and your threat is not credible, it’s only going to undermine whatever your policy toward them is”. Its centerpiece was a video simulation of a missile strike on the U.S. President Trump right before the North’s expected test not so many days ago announced that he was sending an aircraft carrier fleet towards the North.

Trump’s own ignorance is already well documented, but it is worrying that he will take history lessons about Korea from such an obviously biased teacher as Xi.

And in the next few weeks, the U.S.is expected to test at least two of these, one from a Navy ship at sea and one from a base in California.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said yesterday North Korea’s rhetoric was provocative, but he had learnt not to trust it.

Saturday’s military parade was staged amid soaring tensions with the United States.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said during a visit to London the military option must be part of the pressure brought to bear.

The clip was shown during a performance by North Korea’s “state merited chorus” Sunday.

“We will defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response”.

And China appeared to reciprocate Wednesday, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang saying Beijing was “gravely concerned” about North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile activities while simultaneously praising Washington’s approach to the issue.