North Korea vows 'physical response' to US

Ri Tong-il (C), a spokesman for North Korean Foreign Minister
Park Ui-chun talks to reporters on the sidelines of the 17th ASEAN
Regional Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 23, 2010.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135934§ionid=351020405


North Korea has vowed a "physical response" the latest sanctions imposed by the United States and its joint military drill with South Korea.

"There will be physical response against the steps imposed by the United States, militarily. It is no longer the 19th century which... maintained the gunboat diplomacy," Ri Tong Il, a spokesman for the North Korean delegation at ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi, said on Friday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum is a multilateral dialogue in Asia Pacific region.

The remarks followed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statements at the regional security talks on Friday, in which she urged Asia to enforce tough sanctions against North Korea to encourage it "to take the steps it must" to stop its nuclear activities and make peace with South Korea.

Tension has intensified on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier in March.

Seoul and Washington have blamed a North Korean torpedo for the sinking of the Cheonan, which left 46 sailors dead.

The North, however, has rejected the claim as "smear campaign," insisting that its navy did not torpedo the South Korean ship.

On Wednesday, Washington imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang and warned of serious consequences in case of a North Korean attack on the South.

Moreover, the US and South Korea plan to hold a four-day military exercise to "send a clear message to North Korea."

The first maneuver, which would be staged on Sunday, will involve the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and 20 other ships and submarines, as well as 100 aircraft and 8,000 personnel