N Korea gives fresh warning to South

This file photo shows a North Korean military unit of missile carriers during a military parade in Pyongyang

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155250.html


North Korea has warned that the cooperation between the US and South Korea could bring a nuclear war to the already volatile Korean Peninsula.

The warning comes after South Korea began fresh military drills amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The drills are scheduled to run from Monday to Friday at 27 different locations.

The regularly-scheduled exercises are receiving special attention following a North Korean artillery attack on frontline Yeonpyeong Island that claimed the lives of two South Korean marines and two civilians.

In a show of unity, top diplomats from South Korea, the US and Japan met in Washington last week and said they would not resume negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program until the country's behavior changed.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited South Korea last week and warned Pyongyang to stop its "belligerent, reckless behavior."

The November 23 artillery barrage, the North's first assault to target a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, began after the North accused South Korea of having fired the salvo toward its territorial waters.

South Korea said it had fired shells southwards, not towards North Korea, as part of routine exercises.

After the attack, South Korea staged joint military drills with the United States and pushed ahead with more artillery exercises despite the North's warning that they would aggravate tension.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tried to play down the significance of this week's drills, saying they were part of routine military exercises and would not occur near the disputed western Korean sea border where last month's attack took place.

China reacts to US claims on Koreas row

US Admiral Mike Mullen (L), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his South Korean counterpart General Han Min-koo, attend a joint news conference at the defence ministry in Seoul December 8, 2010. Reuters photo

Source; Press TV
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China has reacted critically to recent comments by US officials accusing Beijing of “enabling Pyongyang to carry out reckless behavior.”

Earlier, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen claimed that Beijing has failed to live up to its role as a global power by not doing enough to defuse tensions between North and South Korea.

Mullen also declared that the US and its allies in the region should carry out more joint military drills, after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, General Han Min-koo on Wednesday.

China sharply criticized the US military exercises in the Yellow Sea off China and North Korea, saying that the maneuvers will only escalate tensions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu has launched a frontal attack on Adm. Mullen for his statements.

Yu said at a media briefing in Beijing on Thursday that China wanted to know what Adm. Mullen had done for "peace and stability in the region."

China says promoting the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation is the only way forward to help deal with tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea, on the other hand, has warned that the US-led war games could bring the Koreas closer to the brink of war.

Pyongyang accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.

Meanwhile, China's most senior foreign policymaker Dai Bingguo has met North Korea's Leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Thursday.

The meeting is the first of its kind since the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, which left four people dead and over a dozen injured. According to Xinhua state news agency, Chinese and North Korean diplomats were able to reach a consensus, although no further details were given.

China slams US South Korea naval drills

An aircraft (rear) takes off on the flight deck of the US
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier during the US-South
Korea joint naval and air exercise on the open seas east
of South Korea.



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138577§ionid=351020404


A senior Chinese official has strongly condemned the second round of joint US-South Korea naval exercises.

Rear Admiral Yang Yi wrote in a commentary published in Friday edition of China Daily that the drills are a fresh provocation "to China and its surrounding region."

He said Washington will pay a "costly price" for its decision to participate in new military exercises near China.

"On the one hand, it wants China to play a role in regional security issues. On the other hand, it is engaging in an increasingly tight encirclement of China and constantly challenging China's core interests," Yang said.

The drills are the second US-South Korean war games recently conducted close to Chinese waters.

In July, the US and South Korea conducted massive joint sea and air drills. Those exercises were also condemned by Beijing.

China has already reduced its military cooperation with the Pentagon over the 6.4-billion-dollar US arms sales to Taiwan. China considers the island as part of its territory.

Seoul says the drills come in response to the North's alleged torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March, which claims 46 lives.

Pyongyang denies any involvement in the sinking of the warship.

North Korea's military has described the war games as a direct military invasion.

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.

South Korea extends range of cruise missile

Source: Press TV
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South Korea has reportedly developed a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting North Korean positions and plans to deploy it along the border with the North.

An unconfirmed report by a defense source said the new the ground-to-ground Hyunmu-3C missile has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (937 miles), the state-run Yonhap news agency said on Saturday.

Under an agreement with the United States, South Korea can increase the range of its cruise missiles to counter the 1,000 ballistic missiles the North is believed to have deployed at the border — as long as their payload does not exceed 500 kilograms.

Improving upon a previous version with a range of only 1,000 kilometers, the new Hyunmu missile will enable South Korea to target nuclear or military sites in the North.

Ongoing tensions between the two Koreas — technically at war since their 1950-1953 war ended without a peace treaty — have been on the rise since a South Korean warship sank near the tense sea border in March. Forty-six South Korea sailors died in the incident.

South Korea and the United States accused North Korea of torpedoing the vessel, citing the findings of a multinational investigation into the incident.

However, Pyongyang has rejected the charges and says a July 9 statement by the UN Security Council proves its point since it does not identify North Korea as the culprit.

After the UN statement, the North reiterated its conditional willingness to return to the stalled six-party nuclear disarmament talks it withdrew from last year.

After the UN statement, the North announced that it was still conditionally ready to return to the stalled six-party nuclear disarmament talks it withdrew from last year.

But South Korea has demanded an apology for the attack on the ship and says it will not return to the negotiation table until those responsible are punished.

North Korea meets UN Command on Thursday

North Korea is scheduled to hold talks Thursday with the US-led United Nations Command about the sinking of a South Korean ship back in March.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=134711§ionid=351020405


The US-led United Nations Command (UNC) says talks with North Korea over the March sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan have been reset for Thursday.

The much-anticipated meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but North Korea unexpectedly asked for a delay, just hours before it was due to begin, citing "administrative reasons."

The colonel-level talks are now scheduled to begin at 10 am Thursday at the border village of Panmunjom, according to a statement on Wednesday by the UNC, South Korean Yonhap news agency said.

The rescheduled meeting on Thursday, if held, will be the first between North Korea and the UNC since the Cheonan sank in March near the inter-Korean western maritime border, dramatically increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the United States accuse the communist state of torpedoing the corvette Cheonan and killing 46 sailors, an accusation Pyongyang strongly denies.

Sixteen rounds of general officer talks have been held at Panmunjom since 1998 about reducing tensions on the peninsula. The most recent took place in March 2009 at North Korea's request

North Korea offers to resume talks

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/07/201071042951838719.html


North Korea has said it is willing to return to the nuclear disarmament talks it abandoned 18 months ago, saying it will make "consistent efforts" for a peace treaty.

Pyongyang's about-turn on Saturday came after the UN Security Council condemned an attack on a South Korean warship in March that killed 46 sailors, which Seoul has blamed on the North.

The Security Council, however, did not directly state that North Korea was responsible for sinking the 1,200-ton Cheonan, prompting Sin Son Ho, North Korea ambassador to the UN, to call it "our great diplomatic victory".

The ambassador's comments were followed by a statement from North Korea's foreign ministry calling for a resumption of the talks.

"The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] will make consistent efforts for the conclusion of a peace treaty and the denuclearization through the six-party talks conducted on equal footing," the ministry's spokesman said.

"We take note of the ... statement saying that 'the Security Council encourages the settlement of outstanding issues on the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means to resume direct dialogue and negotiation through appropriate channels'."

'Flip the page'

The disarmament talks involving North and South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China have been in limbo since December 2008.

But China, which had been the host of the six-way talks that began in 2003, on Saturday urged regional powers to "flip the page of the Cheonan incident" and quickly resume the talks.

"We call for an early resumption of the six-party talks and joint efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," Qin Gang, the foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.


The US did not immediately respond to the North's offer for new talks.

"At this point we want to let North Korea absorb the fact that the international community has condemned the Cheonan incident," Mark Toner, a US state department spokesman, said.

A South Korean-led international investigation concluded in May that a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine sank the Cheonan.

But North Korea has called for a new joint investigation by both Koreas and demanded that its inspectors be allowed to visit the site of the sinking near the tense Korean sea border.

Ambassador Sin again pledged that his government will "do our utmost to dig out the truth behind this incident".

The South's defense ministry, meanwhile, said there was no change to its plan to carry out a joint naval exercise with the US in the Yellow Sea, despite objections from China, Pyongyang's main ally.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it welcomed the UN's stance.


"The Security Council's statement is greatly significant as the international community condemned North Korea's attack on the Cheonan with one voice and emphasized the importance of preventing further provocations," it said.


"The government urges the North to respect the spirit of the statement, clearly accept its responsibility and apologize."

US criticises China over North Korea

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/06/201062845559886927.html


The US president has accused China of "wilful blindness" in remaining silent over North Korea's suspected sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

Barack Obama said he hoped that Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart, would recognise that North Korea crossed a line in the sinking of the Cheonan warship, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.

The remarks were made on Sunday in Toronto, Canada, where Obama was attending the G20 economic summit.

He said he understood that North Korea and China were neighbours, "there's a difference between restraint and wilful blindness to consistent problems".

Obama held talks with Hu on the sidelines of the summit and said he had been "blunt" with him on the issue of North Korea.

"My hope is that President Hu will recognise as well that this is an example of Pyongyang going over the line," he said.

International investigators concluded last month that North Korea torpedoed the warship near the tense Korean sea border on March 26.

North Korea denied the allegation and has warned any punishment would trigger war.

'A bad habit'

China, which is Pyongyang's main international ally, has so far remained non-committal on the issue, prompting Obama to say that shying away from the harsh facts about North Korea's behaviour was "a bad habit we need to break".

Obama said he wanted the UN Security Council to produce a "crystal-clear acknowledgment" of the North's alleged action, which would require the co-operation of veto-wielding member China.

Separately, Naoto Kan, Japan's new prime minister, said in Toronto that he encouraged Hu to join world leaders in condemning the North's alleged sinking of the Cheonan.

At a meeting of the Group of Eight which preceded the G20 talks, leaders of the industrialised nations condemned Pyongyang for the attack.

The leaders also criticised North Korea over its nuclear programme.

Kan said the G8 condemnation issued over the weekend would "have a major bearing" on discussions at the UN.

South Korea has already referred the ship sinking to the Security Council, which could adopt a resolution condemning the North or issue a less stringent presidential statement.

Obama, who met Lee Myung-Bak, the South Korean president, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, said it was "absolutely critical that the international community rally behind him and send a clear message to North Korea that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable".

Beijing is a close ally of Pyongyang, providing the impoverished nation with an economic lifeline, and has been reluctant to endorse a UN condemnation over the ship sinking, saying it wants to assess the evidence for itself.

China's fears

Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan, reporting from Beijing, said the Chinese were trying to stall on backing any formal criticism of its ally, fearing the potential fallout of streams of North Korean refugees pouring over its border if the North Korean government falls apart.

It was also not clear how much influence Beijing really had over Pyongyang, she said.

North Korea, for its part, said on Monday that it must bolster its nuclear capability to cope with "hostile" US policy.

"The recent disturbing development on the Korean Peninsula underscores the need for [North Korea] to bolster its nuclear deterrent in a newly developed way to cope with the US persistent hostile policy toward [the North] and military threat toward it," the North's foreign ministry said, just hours after Obama's comments.

The statement was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.