by the commentator on 26 October 2013 17:22

North Korea's official news agency. KCNA, has issued a statement today accusing the West of planning an imminent attack which could provoke all out war.

"The U.S. imperialists and south Korean puppet warmongers announced that they would stage Max Thunder large-scale air strike drill at the U.S. air force base in Kunsan, North Jolla Province from October 25 to November 8..." the statement said.

"The warmongers are escalating the drills for making a surprise preemptive strike at the DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] , pushing the situation to the worst phase," it added.

The Stalinist language -- "worst phase" is code for final conflict -- is not unusual, analysts, say. However, the desperate situation of the regime in a country where millions are starving requires attention to a potential conflict that is being largely overlooked due to Western focus on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ongoing difficulties of dealing with Iran and its nuclear programme, they add.

One Asian diplomat contacted by the Commentator said: "We hear this sort of thing often, but one day it could translate into something and I am not sure the West is ready for that."

Rights groups and academic experts say North Korea has killed at least one million of its citizens for political reasons and holds around 25 percent of the population in camps or highly restricted zones which amount to imprisonment. Children are also held to be responsible for the alleged crimes of their parents, and are punished accordingly.