US, South Korea discuss North sanctions

Robert Einhorn, the US State Department's special
adviser for non-proliferation and arms control


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137149§ionid=351020405


A senior US official responsible for implementing sanctions against North Korea has held talks with South Korean officials about new financial penalties on Pyongyang.

Robert Einhorn, the State Department's special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control, held talks with Seoul officials on Monday, AFP reported.

"Our hope is that these measures will be effective, that they will provide strong incentives for North Korea's leaders to abide by their international obligations, not to pursue any provocative activities and to fulfill completely their commitments to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula," Einhorn told reporters.

The visit comes two weeks after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the US would impose new financial sanctions on North Korea.

Clinton announced measures "to prevent North Korea's proliferation, to halt their illicit activities that help fund their weapons programs and to discourage further provocative actions."

She further noted that the new penalties would target the sale and purchase of arms and related goods used to fund the country's nuclear activities.

The United States and South Korea have also urged the communist state to admit it staged a deadly attack on one of Seoul's warships, killing 46 sailors.

Seoul and Washington accuse North Korea of torpedoing the vessel, citing the findings of a multinational investigation into the incident.

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

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

US and South Korea set to conduct drill

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke
to American soldiers on Tuesday during a stop
at Camp Casey in Seoul ahead of joint US-South Korea war games


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135577§ionid=351020405


Amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, the US military says its joint naval exercise with South Korea will start Sunday in the Yellow Sea.

The major military exercise, dubbed Invincible Spirit, is due to last four days in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Defense chiefs in the US and South Korea issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that the drill is aimed at highlighting the two countries' resolve in facing a potential threat posed by North Korea.

"These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed to together enhancing our combined defensive capabilities," the statement said.

The maneuvers will involve about 20 ships, 200 planes and 8,000 personnel.

The Beijing government has also expressed opposition to US warships carrying out an exercise in the Yellow Sea between the Chinese coast and the Korean peninsula.

Responding to Beijing's concerns over the drill, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said earlier that the exercise was not intended to send a message to China.

Tensions have intensified on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier in March.

Seoul has blamed a North Korean torpedo for the shipwreck, 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.