US 'Fully Prepared' to Shoot Down North Korea's Test Missiles
By John Power
April 12, 2017
The United States has hinted at an unprecedented shift in its policy toward North Korea by telling a key ally that it is ready to shoot down missiles test-fired by the Kim regime, according to Australian media reports.
Washington has briefed Australia on being “fully prepared” to intercept any ballistic missiles launched around North Korean founder Kim Il-sung’s birthday on April 15, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday, citing anonymous intelligence sources. Under third-generation leader Kim Jong-un, who took over after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in 2011, Pyongyang has accelerated the testing of missiles and nuclear weapons in defiance of international sanctions. Following its fourth and fifth nuclear detonations within months of each other last year, the secretive country is anticipated to be on the verge of its sixth test.