North Korea on missile cruiser deployment to Japan: U.S. 'will burn'

SEOUL, June 29 (UPI) -- North Korea threatened the United States on Monday after a guided missile cruiser arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base.

Pyongyang's state-controlled media outlet KCNA said the Aegis cruiser USS Chancellorsville was being deployed in Japan in response to North Korea's nuclear threat, Yonhap reported.

The move was not welcomed by North Korea, and KCNA said in a statement the United States had "better heed past warnings."

"The cloud of flames of a nuclear war is finally gathering en masse," KCNA stated. "But the U.S. should heed the truth: We already have strategy and tactical missiles capable of a strong offense."

South Korean news network YTN reported KCNA also denounced U.S. plans to dispatch four drones to Misawa Air Base in Japan in July.

"The U.S. imperial invasion has undoubtedly revealed its true colors," North Korea said in statement.

"From the fire they start, they themselves will burn as a result...and their ruin would only be accelerated," Pyongyang said in reference to the "U.S. nuclear fanatics" fanning "nuclear war's flames" on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea has been raising its threat level on multiple fronts.

Pyongyang blasted the opening of a new U.N. office dedicated to human rights in Seoul – and has repeatedly denied any abuse of human rights inside the state.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the USS Chancellorsville is joining the U.S. Navy's Forward Deployed Naval Forces in the Western Pacific.

The cruiser, which arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base in mid-June, is the latest model to receive the Aegis Baseline 9 upgrade to its combat system.

The ship could work closely with Japan's Self-Defense Force, according to the Naval Institute.