The official Youtube account of North Korea’s state media channel uploaded a video on Saturday depicting a US city resembling New York engulfed in flames after an apparent missile attack.
To the tune of Michael Jackson’s We Are the World the video shows a dreamlike sequence in which a city, seemingly New York, is shown shrouded in the American flag, under missile attack with its skyscrapers, including what resembles the Empire State Building, either on fire or in ruins.
Another popular culture favourite features in the video as a sequence taken from a cut scene in the video-game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is included.
The rocket displayed in the video is the same Unha-3 long range missile successfully tested in December despite warnings against the tests from the international community.
“Despite all kinds of attempts by imperialists to isolate and crush us… never will anyone be able to stop the people marching toward a final victory,” says the video.
On day after the video was released, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un conducted a top military meeting that discussed a looming “great turn” in military capability, state media reported, which increased the suspicion of an imminent nuclear test by North Korea.
North Korea should be aware of consequences of defying international community by a new nuclear test. It will affect also bilateral links.
— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 4, 2013
South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak believes North Korea could detonate multiple devices when it goes ahead with a nuclear test expected in the coming weeks or even days: “North Korea is likely to carry out multiple nuclear tests at two places or more simultaneously,” Lee said in an interview published Tuesday in the Chosun Ilbo daily. He suggested that diplomatic efforts would make little headway in bringing about a significant policy shift in Pyongyang, in the interview. Last Tuesday, the UN Security Council said to take “very firm and strong” action toward any nuclear test by North Korea, council president Kim Sook said.
Today’s best: North Korea’s new leader using old tricks: reut.rs/14MJg1y
— Reuters TV (@ReutersTV) February 4, 2013
“We cannot sit idly by and do nothing vis-a-vis some devastating provocative action done by North Korea,” Kim said.
Experts around the world are gearing up to analyse any test for what it might reveal about the current status of the North’s weaponisation programme.
The video is a perplexing move in international relations and one which has yet to garner reactions from the USA.
Main image credit: Flickr
