North Korea vows to launch ‘preemptive nuclear attack’

Syracuse (WSYR-TV/CNN) – North Korea has launched a volley of fiery rhetoric, threatening to deal with its enemies through a “preemptive nuclear attack.”

The strong language from Pyongyang emerged hours ahead of a vote by UN diplomats on whether to level new sanctions against the North Korean government over its recent nuclear test.

Analysts say that despite the saber rattling, North Korea is still years away from possessing the technology they need to install a warhead on a missile and aim it accurately.

The North Korean foreign ministry suggested in a Thursday statement that the United States "is set to light a fuse for a nuclear war."

The statement continued, saying North Korea "will exercise the right to a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors and to defend the supreme interests of the country," the statement said.