North Korea ratifies nuclear strikes against U.S. after move THAAD air defense missile Guam 0404132.

Shortly after the US said it was preparing to deploy THAAD advanced air defense missile system to Guam, Pyongyang announced it had approved nuclear attack on the US. Meanwhile there are reports that North Korea is moving a mid-range missile to its east coast.

Early on Thursday the Yonhap news agency in the South said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a missile that might be capable of reaching Guam to its east coast. The BM-25 Musudan (No-Dong-B) missile, thought to be untested, had a theoretical range of 1,875 miles (3,000km) which would put all of South Korea and Japan within its reach, said Yonhap, quoting unnamed South Korean and US intelligence sources.

The deployment of the THAAD battery to the US territory of Guam is the biggest demonstration yet that Washington regards the confrontation with North Korea as more worrying than similar crises over the past few years. It also suggests the Americans are preparing for a long standoff.

The Pentagon announced the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) before the latest statement from Pyonyang. It is intended to provide protection for US military bases in the region against short- and medium-range North Korean missiles. North Korea has, over the past few weeks, warned that it could strike Guam, Hawaii and the US west coast.