'We're ready': American commander in the Pacific says he could knock out any North Korean missile strike as the rogue nation says it will launch one tomorrow

• Commander of U.S. Pacific Command says the U.S. can intercept a missile launched by North Korea
  
• Pyongyang told foreigners and tourists to leave South Korea
  
• North Korea said the two countries are on the eve of a nuclear war
  
• Japan deployed missile interceptors around Tokyo in case of attack
• Jointly run factory in Korean Demilitarized Zone remains closed today
• South Korean President Park Geun-hye exasperated by 'endless vicious cycle' of hostile behavior from North Korea
  

By BECKY EVANS and ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER

Published: 16:48 EST, 9 April 2013 | Updated: 18:54 EST, 10 April 2013

U.S. defenses could intercept a ballistic missile launched by North Korea if it decides to strike, the top American military commander in the Pacific said on Tuesday, as the relationship between the West and the communist government hit its lowest ebb since the end of the Korean War.

Amid increasingly combative rhetoric from Pyongyang, Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles represents a clear threat to the United States and its allies in the region.

The admiral said Kim Jong Un, the country's young and still relatively untested new leader, remains unpredictable after using the past year to consolidate his power.

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Resolve: U.S. Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear III, testified at the Senate Armed Services Committee that the American military was prepared to intercept a missile launched by North Korea

But Locklear told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was confident that the U.S. military can thwart North Korea if it chooses to act.

He made clear that any U.S. decision would be contingent on where the missile is headed, information that the U.S. could ascertain fairly quickly.

He said North Korea is keeping a large percentage of its combat forces along the demilitarized zone with South Korea, a position that allows the North to threaten U.S. and South Korean civilian and military personnel.

According to state run media out of North Korea, the nation says it is ready for war with the U.s.

'Hundreds of thousands of troops are poised for a war carrying nuclear war equipment,' North Korea's KCNA news agency said.

Threat: A large number us military bases are within range of the new missiles - shown here

Nascent technology: A map from the Federation of American Scientists and the Center for Non-proliferation Studies shows that North Korea's missiles cannot even reach India about 3,100 miles away

North Korea has warned all foreigners to leave South Korea as Kim Jong-un's government continues to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula

North Korea is preparing to launch a mid-range missile launch tomorrow from its east coast, officials in Seoul have claimed – hours after foreigners living in South Korea were warned to leave the country.

The chilling forecast came as thousands of North Koreans held a mass waltz today to celebrate the father of madman dictator Kim Jong-un.

Women dressed in brightly colored traditional costume danced with their partners in front of the Monument to the Foundation of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang. 

Meanwhile the Communist government issued a stark warning about the prospect of war, saying: 'We do not wish harm on foreigners in South Korea should there be a war.'

Thousands of North Koreans dance in Pyongyang in celebration of their former leader Kim Jong-Il

The event came as Pyongyang warned foreigners to leave the South, saying the two Koreas are on the verge of civil war

It added: 'The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to a thermo-nuclear war. Once a war is ignited on the peninsula, it will be an all-out war, a merciless, sacred, retaliatory war waged by the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).'

North Korea has warned all foreigners to evacuate South Korea today because the two countries are on the eve of a nuclear war - as Japan set up a huge new anti-missile system in Tokyo.

Foreign companies and tourists in the South have been told to leave as Kim Jong Un continues to ramp up tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said today that she is exasperated by the 'endless vicious cycle' of hostile behaviour from the North. 

Japan has responded to continuing threats from Pyongyang by deploying missile interceptors in key locations around Tokyo.

Japan has deployed missile interceptors across Tokyo as precaution against North Korean attack

Japan's chief cabinet spokesman said the government is 'doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation'

Yesterday, chief cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said: 'We are doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation.'

North Korea has made repeated threats against Japan in the past weeks and there are fears the country, an ally of the U.S., would be in range of its missiles.

Japan's Defence Ministry has deployed Air Self-Defense Force's PAC-3s as a precaution against possible ballistic missile tests.

Analysts see the latest warning from the North's Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee as an attempt to raise anxiety in Seoul and believe a direct attack on the capital as unlikely.

Observers say a torrent of North Korean prophesies of doom is partly meant to win Pyongyang-friendly policy changes in Seoul and Washington and to boost the image of leader Kim Jong Un.

Japan's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles have been deployed at three bases in the country

South Korean soldiers on exercise near the border as they prepare for possible attacks by the North

The South Korean president has expressed exasperation at the 'endless vicious cycle' of hostile behaviour

Last week, North Korea told foreign diplomats based in Pyongyang that it will not be able to guarantee their safety as of Wednesday.

It halted work at a factory complex jointly run with its neighbour yesterday and 75 managers from the South are preparing to return home.

Only about 400 South Korean managers remained at the Kaesong industrial complex, just north of the Demilitarized Zone today.

One manager said he and his colleagues are relying on instant noodles but plan to stay to watch over company equipment while food lasts.

President Park said the closure of the facility will scare foreign investors away from the North.

A South Korean soldier sets up a barricade on the road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge

About 75 South Korean managers will cross the border today after the North closed the Kaesong complex

She said: 'North Korea should stop doing wrong behavior and make a right choice for the future of the Korean nation.'

More than 120 South Korean companies operated at Kaesong and they issued a joint statement urging North Korea to reopen.

'If this situation continues, companies will face the risk of going bankrupt,' said Yoo Chang-geun, a vice president of the Corporate Association of Gaesong Industrial Complex.

After an emergency meeting on Tuesday in Seoul, representatives of the companies said in a joint statement that they hope to send a delegation of small and medium-sized companies to North Korea in hopes of reopening the complex.

The statement also appealed to South Korea to take a 'mature, embracing posture' and work out all available measures to help normalize Kaesong's operations.

Meanwhile, a shipping container was seen outside the North Korean Embassy in Ealing, London today, sparking rumors that the ambassador may soon be pulled out of the UK.