The top U.S. military officer Sunday warned of further provocations by North Korea following the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors in the Yellow Sea in March, Yonhap News reported in Washington.
"North Koreans committed, you know, a heinous act, and I'm concerned there could be follow-on activities," Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday," adding North Korean leader Kim Jong-il "just doesn't seem to do single things."
Mullen said that the torpedoing of the 1,200-ton Cheonan and Kim's failing health made the security situation in Northeast Asia "more fragile," adding "the goal remains to certainly not have a conflict break out."
Some reports said Kim Jong-un, 27, the third and youngest son of the ailing North Korean leader, is behind the attack on the Cheonan, just like the role the senior Kim played in the downing of a Korean Air flight that killed all 115 passengers aboard in 1987 while he was being groomed to succeed his father Kim Il-sung, the North's founder. Kim Jong-il took over power in 1994 when Kim Il-sung died of a heart attack.
North Korea vehemently denies involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan, severing all ties with South Korea and threatening an all-out war if sanctioned or punished for the incident.