"Those who seek to bring down the system in the (North), whether they play a main role or a passive role, will fall victim to the unprecedented nuclear strikes of the invincible army," North Korea's military told state media today. It described the North's communist system as an "impregnable fortress."
Pyongyang is believed to have enough weaponized plutonium for at least half a dozen atomic bombs. The country conducted its second atomic test last year, prompting tighter U.N. sanctions. Diplomats from Washington and Seoul continue to prod the North to return to international talks aimed at halting its nuclear program.
Earlier this month, a South Korean newspaper reported that representatives from the U.S. Pacific Command would meet with defense experts from South Korea and China next month to discuss how to control the North's weapons if its regime collapses.
Any expectations for such a collapse are the "pipe dream of a lunatic wishing for the sky to fall," the official Korean Central News Agency said today. The North is "capable of frustrating any plot and provocation at a single strike," it said.
Such rhetoric is quite common from North Korea, which has previously threatened nuclear attacks in response to what it calls plots for regime change by the West -- a sensitive topic inside the reclusive, closed state, considering the health of its leader, Kim Jong Il.
Kim is 68 and suffered a stroke in August 2008. Earlier this week, the head of a South Korean think tank said Kim is also suffering from kidney failure, which requires dialysis. He's widely believed to be preparing to hand over power to his youngest son.
While state media spout assurances to North Koreans about the strength of their government, the country is succumbing to severe food shortages and famine. A bungled attempt at currency reform last year sparked huge inflation and rare public unrest.
Meanwhile, the top American commander in South Korea, Gen. Walter Sharp, testified before the House Appropriations Committee this week and warned of the possibility of further turmoil in the North. He cited the country's weak economy, the malnourishment of soldiers and the general population, and the nation's nuclear weapons.
"The possibility of a sudden leadership change in the North could be destabilizing and unpredictable," Sharp said. South Korean media have reported that the U.S. and Seoul are coordinating military contingency plans for when Kim dies.
The North accuses Washington and Seoul of plotting to topple its government -- a claim both capitals deny.
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