adminLogvinov on Saturday.
On Friday the Pentagon declared that the US was fully capable of defending itself and its allies against a missile attack from North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong-un, had declared that rockets were ready to be fired at American bases in the Pacific. Kim’s words came in response to the US flying two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula this week.
On Saturday, a spokesman for the Foreign Office warned North Korea that its statements would lead to further isolation.
“We have made clear to North Korea that its long-term interests will only be served by constructive engagement with the international community. These threatening statements will only seek to isolate it further,” he said.
“The armistice agreement has enabled the Korean peninsula to benefit from 60 years’ peace. Maintaining it is in the best interests of all.”
Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, told reporters travelling with Barack Obama on Air Force One to Miami: “The bellicose rhetoric emanating from North Korea only deepens that nation’s isolation.
The United States remains committed to safeguarding our allies in the region and our interests that are located there.”
Asked if the joint US-South Korean military exercises and the use of the stealth bombers had fuelled the escalation, Earnest replied: “It’s clear that the escalation is taking place from the North Koreans based on their rhetoric and on their actions.”
The Pentagon said on Friday that the US would not be intimidated, and was ready to defend both its bases and its allies in the region.
Lt Col Catherine Wilkinson, a Pentagon spokesperson, said: “The United States is fully capable of defending itself and our allies against a North Korean attack. We are firmly committed to the defence of South Korea and Japan.”
The secretary of state, John Kerry, will visit the region in a week or so for meetings with Japan, China and South Korea. North Korea announced that its forces had been placed on high alert on Tuesday but the threats became graver when a picture was published of Kim reiterating the order at an emergency meeting on Friday.
The US defence department keeps secret its assessment of the distance North Korea’s missiles can reach. But Admiral James Winnefeld, vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said a fortnight ago it had one type of missile capable of reaching the US.
While defence analysts agreed that North Korea was theoretically capable of firing a missile, they expressed scepticism about whether its technology was as advanced as it claims and were doubtful about its accuracy in hitting targets.
But there is more concern in Washington than previous standoffs with North Korea have elicited because Kim is a new leader, young and inexperienced and a largely unknown quantity in the west.
A major worry is the possibility that North Korea might attack a South Korean ship — it was blamed for the sinking of a South Korean vessel in 2010 — or a land target. Seoul has said that it would retaliate this time. — guardian.co.uk.
Online Reporter