Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

North Korea 'could destroy world with just three bombs', regime apologist claims

Reclusive state's self-styled special delegate says 'Korea is perfectly prepared with nuclear and thermonuclear weapons'

Jon Sharman
Monday 24 April 2017 10:42 BST
Comments
North Korean military hardware on display earlier this month on the Day of the Sun
North Korean military hardware on display earlier this month on the Day of the Sun (REUTERS)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

North Korea could destroy the entire world with just "three or four" thermonuclear bombs, according to a man who styles himself as an international representative of the regime.

"No one will touch North Korea—if they touch it the people will defend it with guns and missiles," Alejandro Cao de Benos, a Spaniard who says he is a "special delegate" of the reclusive dictatorship, has claimed.

"Korea is perfectly prepared with nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. We have the H-bomb," he said in an interview with the Argentinian website Infobae.

North Korean TV shows animation of a nuclear bomb hitting a US city and rows of graves

The IT consultant has made a name for himself defending the North's dictatorial regime and organising tourist visits in the country.

He told The Independent in 2012: "There's no one person that decides everything and can do whatever he wants."

Mr Cao de Benos has also claimed North Korea's prison camps, where Human Rights Watch said people "perform forced labour in dangerous and sometimes life-threatening conditions", are in fact "re-education" camps.

"We believe not in punishment but in rehabilitation. It's a kind of psychological therapy," he said.

In his latest comments, Mr Cao de Benos said that while the US "has many more missiles than Korea", it was "not a question of quantity but of the potency of the detonation. One thermonuclear bomb is 100 times more powerful than a nuclear one.

"Three or four of those is sufficient to end the entire world."

His comments come at a time of heightened tension as Washington and Pyongyang trade rhetoric over the Kim regime's programme of missile tests.

Donald Trump has attempted to strike a tough tone, threatening to "properly deal" with the regime if China is unable to rein in its ally and sending what he described as an "armada" of warships to the region.

But Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday: "We truly believe that, as our allies in the region and China bring that pressure to bear, there is a chance that we can achieve a historic objective of a nuclear-free Korea peninsula by peaceful means.

"We are encouraged by the steps that China has taken so far."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in