World War 3 fears: North Korea conflict would turn South Korea into ‘desert’

Russian diplomat and an expert in Asian studies, Professor Georgy Toloraya said that if conflict broke out, a number of countries “will be living under a threat of a nuclear volcano erupting.”

He said: “Everyone understands perfectly well that for North Korea, if it initiates an aggressive strike, a military conflict will mean a complete and immediate destruction, because no one can deny the US military might.

“However, for the US, attempts to solve this problem militarily also bring on a retaliatory strike by North Korea that would turn South Korea into a desert.”

He added that while North Korea’s rockets could reach the capital Seoul, the entire territory of the country would be “not good for life” even if nuclear weapons were not used as any conventional missile could be aimed at the South’s nuclear facilities.

He told RT: “Japan will suffer damage too, as well as the US military bases there,” adding “diplomacy and negotiations” were the only way forward.

Prof Toloraya said: “All kinds of pressure [on Pyongyang] have been tested over the years, including sanctions. But none led to any change in North Korea’s position.

“No one in their right mind can be really thinking about the doomsday scenario. In my opinion, Americans are bluffing when they scare not so much Pyongyang but rather China with a possibility of a military conflict.

“The thing is, the most bloody wars sometimes begin by accident or by mistake, this has happened in history. 

“The higher the level of armament and the hotter the tensions in the Korean Peninsula, the bigger a chance of an accidental turn of events, with the subsequent escalation.”

Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, an expert in military history and conflict resolution studies, said: “There is always danger, especially when such imperfect missiles as the ones used by North Korea are involved. There is a risk that a missile might veer off course, that it won’t reach its destination.”

He also believed countries such as Russia and China, although perhaps not directly affected, would also feel an impact.

Mr Ivashov said: “Certain forces in the US are striving to destabilise the situation in the region, in the same way that they have destabilised it in the Middle East.

“We should treat North Korea with understanding too. What North Koreans are asking for is a guarantee of their security, which no one gives them. 

“They are a pariah-state. They want to save their regime, which does exist – whether people like it or not. They don’t like [the] joint US and South Korean drills being held near their borders. This can all be solved, if only there is a will from the US before all.”