North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened "to bury enemies at sea" if there are any attempts to hinder Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch, which is scheduled for April, the Yonhap news agency reported Thursday.
"He (Kim Jong-Un)…ordered the unit to send all intruders to the bottom of the sea," Yonhap quoted a statement by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim's statement comes as North Korea is facing mounting international pressure to call off the launch of its long-range rocket planned for April, which will mark the 100th birthday of the nation's late founding leader Kim Il-Sung.
Japan earlier said it will strengthen its defense capabilities in response to the launch and South Korea warned it may shoot down the rocket if it violates its territory.
Pyongyang insisted the launch is part of a peaceful space programme and said the rocket with a satellite would circle along the solar synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers for two years.