Former United Nations Amb. John Bolton warned Tuesday that a YouTube video posted by North Korea showing the destruction of a major U.S. city is no laughing matter, given the recent successes in its nuclear missile testing program.
"You know, since this has come out a lot of people have made fun of the video and what they stole from video games and whatnot. But, obviously, it's not North Korean cinema that threatens us," Bolton told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Tuesday night.
"As ridiculous as this thing is, what threatens us is the idea that people in North Korea are dreaming about destroying New York. And, obviously worse than that, that they're conducting research on nuclear devices and ballistic missiles that would make that [idea] popular. This is North Korean propaganda, and as silly as it looks to us, it . . . covers a reality that is threatening and growing more so."
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Bolton's comments reflected increased concern in Congress as well about North Korea's nuclear intentions.
On Tuesday, for example, GOP members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang following the release of the YouTube video, which used images from a war game video to illustrate how North Korea plans to take its "revenge" against the world for being "disrespected."
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Played to the soundtrack of "We are the World," it shows New York City being destroyed in the dreams of a North Korean man.
"It's time to get serious about a North Korea regime committed to developing nuclear weapons and missiles at all costs and threatening the U.S.,” Committee Chairman Ed Royce of California told The Hill newspaper in an e-mail. “We need tougher sanctions now.”
Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the former committee chairman, also told Politico the video was a “tasteless and vile stunt” that “illustrates Pyongyang’s hostile intentions and its willingness to undermine U.S. national security interests.” She called on the Obama administration to support her legislation that would impose tougher penalties on North Korea and label it as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The video was apparently taken down from YouTube on Tuesday because of copyright infringement due to sequences from the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" video game used in the clip. Still, it has been copied and is widely available elsewhere. The "Modern Warfare" clips are used to depict a North Korean man dreaming about one day boarding a space shuttle and using nuclear weapons to destroy New York.
"A long time the world disrespected us and laughed about our leaders. That time is over now," the audio says, according to a translation. "The moment of revenge has come. Since we have nuclear weapons the world won’t laugh anymore. It’s only a question of time.”
Bolton said the video illustrates how new North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un will be "a new kind of leader," much different from his father because he's much more attune to what's happening in the world and understand the importance of using the Internet and advanced technology to spread his propaganda.
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"But the propaganda's the same and the threats are the same," Bolton said, adding that he believes the video was put up on purpose ahead of another planned missile test by the North and to illustrate how far it has come in developing its missile and rocket programs.
"Interesting timing. A lot of speculation, both in South Korea and the United States the North is on the verge of its third nuclear test," he said. "So this is certainly an interesting prelude to that, if that's what's coming next after its successful launch [on Dec. 12, 2012] of a satellite into earth orbit."
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