A US military analyst predicted Wednesday that some 20,000 South Koreans would be killed on a daily basis in the event of a war between Washington and Pyongyang following mutual threats between the two countries over recent missile and nuclear tests.
"Many Americans believe that the war with North Korea will be like the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan or the fighting in Libya or Syria," Brigadier General Rove Givens told the Los Angeles Times.
"But the situation is far from that," said Giffens, who spent four years serving in the Korean Peninsula.
He explained that such a war may destroy the South Korean capital Seoul, because it will be in the range of artillery fire from the northern neighbor.
"Estimates of the Pentagon indicate that up to 20,000 South Korean deaths could occur every day," he said.
He noted that the war could be triggered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the event of a missile falling on or near the island of Guam.
He said US aircraft carriers would then respond by striking North Korean missile launchers.
He said Pyongyang, "may respond by using 11,000 artillery units, to target 35,000 US troops currently concentrated in South Korea, ending up targeting the population of Seoul, the 25 million people, when the conflict worsens."
The United States and South Korea have recently escalated their threats, with US President Donald Trump threatening to "destroy" North Korea if he has no other choice to protect his country's allies.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ry Yong-ho described the remarks as "reaching the stage of declaring war."
North Korea has recently conducted several missile and nuclear tests, amid growing rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang.
North Korea began developing nuclear weapons in 1950, but nuclear tests and ballistic missiles intensified during the reign of Kim Jong-un.
