North Korea: Ready Artillery to Hit US Mainland

Your daily dose of North Korean bluster takes the shape of a ratcheted up warning against the US: The country says it has ordered its long-range artillery and rocket units to be put into "the No. 1 combat ready" mode and target US military bases on the mainland, Hawaii, and Guam, per the North's KCNA news agency. It also mentioned other Pacific US bases, plus South Korea, notes the South's Yonhap News. Seoul says it hasn't seen any indication that the North is about to take action, Reuters reports.

The North Korean statement referred to "the highest level of combat readiness status," says a South Korean official. It "seems to be aimed at creating a war-like situation to unite the North Korean people, though it could result in real provocations." The statement was issued by the North's Supreme Command, a group only active in wartime, another official notes. At the Washington Post, however, Max Fisher writes that Pyongyang's threats "are empty, of course," and offers up some evidence: this photo of the country's "new" military technology. (More North Korea stories.)