N. Korean Defector Says Pyongyang Preparing For War

North Korea’s highest ranking defector repeated his warning today that Pyongyang is preparing for war against South Korea and said the Pyongyang regime of which he was a part “had made North Korea a living hell.”

Hwang Jang Yop told a news conference in Seoul that “sooner or later, North Korea will wage a war, that is for sure.”

But Hwang ducked questions about whether the Pyongyang government possesses nuclear weapons and refused to comment on the personality of Kim Jong Il, the mysterious leader of the North Korean nation who has yet to fully claim power a full three years after the death of his father.

Hwang said he defected because “the rest of the world is opening up and seeking reform. But North Korea only seeks to engage in war.”