North Korea Threatens to Fire at U.S. Troops' Equipment

On Saturday, North Korea issued a statement threatening to fire at the electrical equipment and searchlights of U.S. and South Korean forces stationed at the border between the two Koreas. According to the Associated Press, the North Korean army accused U.S. and South Korean soldiers of engaging in 'deliberate and provocative actions' by aiming their searchlights at North Korean border guards since Friday night, warning that it would fire at this equipment. This new threat comes as the United Nations Command in South Korea, led by U.S. forces, accused North Korea on Tuesday of laying landmines near the border line between the two countries. The North Korean army's new and threatening statement was released just hours after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea's latest missile test. On Wednesday, Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile from a submarine toward Japan, claiming that the missile successfully traveled 500 kilometers toward Japan. According to Reuters, the UN Security Council responded by stating that such actions by North Korea 'contribute to the development of North Korea's ballistic missile launch systems and increase tensions.' The release of the new UN statement comes at a time when the body failed to reach consensus earlier this month regarding a statement against North Korea's August 3 missile test. Earlier this month, China, as a member of the Security Council, requested that a phrase be included in the statement opposing any deployment of new U.S. anti-ballistic missiles in South Korea 'under the pretext of countering the North Korean threat.' However, the UN statement released on Friday was published without such a clause, with the consensus of all 15 Security Council members. North Korea has been subject to Security Council sanctions since 2006, and in response to Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test and the testing of a new long-range missile, the council imposed stricter sanctions on North Korea in March.