Kill Kim before he kills us: Top-ranking defector says North Korean dictator WILL use nukes and the only solution is to 'eliminate' him
- Thae Yong Ho is the most high-profile North Korean defector in two decades
- He says that Kim Jong-un is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US
- Thae said that the world should be prepared North Korea to launch missiles
- He said the 'real solution to the North Korean nuclear issue is to eliminate Kim
- Thae Yong Ho, the most high-profile North Korean defector in two decades, says that the world should be ready if Kim were to fire missiles
A senior North Korean defector claims that the country's leader Kim Jong-un is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the United States and its allies.
Thae Yong Ho, a former deputy ambassador in London and the most high-profile North Korean defector in two decades, says that the world should be prepared.
Thae said that Kim is 'desperate in maintaining his rule by relying on his [development of] nuclear weapons and ICBM', referring to an acronym for intercontinental ballistic missiles, or long range rockets that in theory could hit the United States.
'Once he sees that there is any kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he would use his nuclear weapons with ICBM,' he told NBC News on Sunday.
While Thae was not directly involved in North Korea's weapons program, he believes that the country has reached a 'very significant level' of development.
'If Kim Jong Un has nuclear weapons and ICBMs, he can do anything,' the defector, who can give rare insight into North Korea due to his former status in the country, added. 'So, I think the world should be ready to deal with this kind of person.'
'Kim Jong Un is a man who can do anything beyond the normal imagination,' he warned, adding that the 'real solution to the North Korean nuclear issue is to eliminate Kim Jong Un from the post'.
Thae has previously said the country is aiming to complete its development of nuclear weapons by the end of this year.
He claimed the leader will stop at nothing to develop a nuclear programme - and would even turn down trillions of dollars if he was offered a pay-off to abandon the nuclear race.
Kim Jong Un and his military (pictured above) is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year
South Korea, Japan and the US held a joint naval exercise on Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean submarines, Seoul's defense ministry said, amid mounting concerns over the hermit state's weapons programme.
Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
Tensions have escalated in the region following a series of missile launches by North Korea in recent months and reports suggesting Pyongyang may be preparing another atomic test.
In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on US bases in the neighbouring Asian country.
Last August Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a SLBM 500 kilometres towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what the North's leader Kim Jong-Un hailed as the 'greatest success.'
South Korea, Japan and the US held a joint naval exercise on Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean submarines. Pictured above, South Korean Marines participate in a landing operation exercise on Sunday
A nuclear-capable SLBM system would take the North's threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a 'second-strike' capability in the event of an attack on its army bases.
Analysts say that while Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment.
The isolated North is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology.
Adm Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet told NBC News that US officials were worried about North Korea's most recent threat.
'They have the nuclear capability - they've demonstrated that,' he said. 'And then, where they're going with the miniaturization of that, whether they can actually weaponize a missile, that's what's driving the current concern.'
President Donald Trump warned in an interview published Sunday that the United States is prepared to act unilaterally to deal with North Korea's nuclear program if China proves unwilling to help.
"Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you," he said in an interview with the Financial Times of London.
Trump's comments come ahead of his meeting Thursday and Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
(The Mail, UK)
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