China has advised its netizens in North Korea to return home as a potential military clash between the United States, and Pyongyang looms, according to a source.

The Chinese Embassy in North Korea reportedly sent out the warning on April 20, five days before the 85th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. While many expected that North Korea would use the occasion to conduct its sixth nuclear test, Pyongyang carried out a large live-fire drill instead. Then four days after the anniversary, North Korea launched a missile test, although the projectile exploded just a few minutes after launching, Sputnik News reported.

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According to Radio Free Asia, a Korean-Chinese who left Pyongyang after receiving the warning late last month said that "The embassy has never given such a warning. I was worried and left the country in a hurry." He also noted that despite the rising pressure, Pyongyang's "peaceful" environment did not stir any panic among the Korean-Chinese population.

Meanwhile, the Chinese town of Dandong has also been ordered to "urgently" hire Korean translators to work at 10 different departments, including border security, public security, trade, customs, and quarantine. The document did not state the reason for the sudden, large-scale recruitment, but experts suggested that China could be bracing for a possible military conflict.

China on Tuesday has also demanded the immediate suspension of US' controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, a few hours after Washington announced that the system is now in operation in South Korea.

China reiterated its firm opposition to the THAAD deployment, saying it will only weaken Beijing's ballistic missile capabilities and risk regional security balance. 

Tagschina, North Korea, THAAD, World War 3