North Korea video shows Obama in flames

Seoul, Feb 20 (AFP) North Korea has released a new propaganda video showing US soldiers and President Barack Obama burning in the flames of a nuclear blast. The footage was uploaded on YouTube on Monday, two weeks after a separate video that showed New York city in flames after an apparent missile attack. Both videos were uploaded by the North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, which distributes news and propaganda from the state media. The latest effort came with a series of Korean-language captions, arguing that North Korea had been forced into conducting its latest nuclear test - on February 12 - because of US hostility. "The North's high-level nuclear test aimed at US invaders, is the nuclear deterrent to safeguard our sovereignty," one caption read. "The US practically guided the North towards conducting the nuclear test," it added. The video showed images of Obama waving and preparing to deliver his State of the Union address - all superimposed against a background of rising flames. It ended with an animated sequence of a nuclear bomb being detonated in an underground bunker and the message: "The whole world is now watching. The US must answer now". The North's latest test was its biggest yet in terms of explosive yield and, according to Pyongyang, marked a breakthrough in its efforts to develop a "miniaturised" warhead that could fit on a ballistic missile. The earlier video posted by Uriminzokkiri had to be withdrawn, after it emerged that the footage of a burning New York was taken from the "Call of Duty" video game. The makers of the game, California-based Activision, filed a copyright complaint. (AFP) NKP 02201300 NNNN