From thesun.co.uk
NORTH Korea could wipe out four million people within MINUTES of launching a nuclear strike, shock research has found.
A new report says Kim Jong-Un's deadly nuke arsenal has the ability to wreak apocalyptic havoc on neighbours South Korea and Japan.
North Korea says it is capable of launching nuclear warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles
The analysis by North Korea monitoring group 38 North assessed potential scenarios that could play out if war-hungry Kim acts on his threats to destroy his Western enemies.
A worst case situation is based on the assumption that Kim has amassed 25 nukes with a strength of 15 kilotons, the same as the Hiroshima bomb dropped by the United States at the end of WW2.
If just a few of these made it through defences to detonate over Seoul or Tokyo, the potential devastation would be catastrophic.
"Multiple nuclear weapon detonations on both Seoul and Tokyo based on the current North Korea yield estimates could result in anywhere from 400,000 to 2 million deaths", the report's author Michael J. Zagurek Jr. wrote.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un could wipe out millions within minutes of launching a nuclear strike
Kim has been carrying out several missile and nuke tests over recent months
South Korea has also been upping its ballistic missile capabilities in response to North Korea's threats
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has a population of nearly 10 million people
“With possible thermonuclear yields with the same number of weapons, the number of deaths could range between 1.3 and 3.8 million", he added.
Fears are mounting that North Korea could be preparing for a further act of provocation following months of tense rocket tests and underground nuclear blasts.
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said that next week's anniversary of the ruling North Korea Workers Party on 10 October could be marked with another missile launch.
“I understand it is an important anniversary for North Korea", he said. "We would like to maintain a sense of urgency.”
Propaganda video from North Korea video shows 'destruction of US airforce & USS Carl Vinson'
South Korean military jets carry out drills over the penninsula in response to North Korean provocation
Kim is expected to order a further act of provocation as early as next week
And Yong Suk Lee, the CIA’s deputy leader of its Korea Mission Centre, warned: “Stand by your phones”.
He added: “Beyond the bluster, Kim Jong-Un is a rational actor.
“We have a tendency in this country to underestimate his conservatism. He wants to rule for a long time and die in his own bed.
“North Korea ia a political organism that thrives on confrontation. Waking up and deciding to nuke Los Angeles is not in his interest to survive.
“North Korea is a political organism that thrives on confrontation.”
South Korea's military have been stepping up drills to face down the North Korean threat
Earlier in the month, the world awoke to the news North Korea detonated a nuclear device.
The blast triggered an artificial earthquake six times larger than in any previous test.
North Korea claimed it has developed a sophisticated 120 kiloton hydrogen bomb small enough to be carried on an intercontinental missile.
Trump claims US are prepared for the 'devastating' military option against North Korea if 'they have to take it'
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