North Korean soldiers told 'war is imminent'

Military officers turn a "blind eye" to the looting, and in some cases it is said to be encouraged as a means of keeping up their strength – because of low army rations.

"The military officers are instructing their soldiers, exhausted after training, to eat corn in the fields because war is imminent," a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK, an online news outlet focusing on the secretive communist state. "They are even threatening their soldiers, saying 'If you become malnourished despite permission to eat the corn, you will face difficulties'."

Another source from Ryanggang Province, claimed: "Soldiers carrying big sacks of unripened corn can be frequently seen at the markets. They see the corn at cheap prices to merchants who have made deals in advance."

In response, farmers have set up guard posts in an attempt to protect their crops.

Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have been escalating in recent months. But they ratcheted up further earlier this week when North Korea launched a missile over the Japanese island of Hokkaido. In response, US President Donald Trump said his country had been "talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years! Talking is not the answer!" It followed several other missile tests recent weeks. The latest launch came as the United States and South Korea conducted their annual joint military exercises.

Meanwhile, North Korea has warned Tokyo against "imminent self-destruction" for siding with Washington, as tensions soar after Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan.

The North set off global alarm on Tuesday when it fired an intermediate-range missile over the Asian island nation, triggering condemnation from world leaders including the US and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the launch as an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat" and agreed with US President Donald Trump to "further strengthen pressure against North Korea".

KCNA news agency decried the former colonial power in a commentary, saying: "Japan has now come out with its sleeves rolled up in supporting its master's anti-DPRK war moves."

The allies' "military nexus" had become a "serious threat" to the Korean peninsula and Japan was "unaware" it. agencies

SEOUL/TOKYO: South Korea said its air force conducted an exercise with two US nuclear-capable bombers above the Korean peninsula on Thursday, two days after a North Korean missile fired over Japan sharply raised tensions. The drills, involving two supersonic US B-1B bombers, four US stealth F-35B jets as well as S Korean fighter jets, came at the end of annual joint US-South Korea military exercises focused mainly on computer simulations. N Korea strongly objects to the exercises, which it sees as a preparation for invasion and has responded with a series of threats and missiles launches in recent weeks. Trump responded with his own threats.

North Korea's ambassador to the UK has been summoned to the Foreign Office, so that government officials can condemn its latest missile launch over Japan.