Foreign minister warns of possible N. Korea provocation

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, left, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, center, listen to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)’ Korea Chair Victor Cha during a forum co-organized by the CSIS and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., Monday. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has warned of potential North Korean provocations, referring to its top diplomat’s threat to take countermeasures against “the U.S. declaration of war.”

Speaking at a forum in Washington, D.C., Monday, Kang also warned that any military conflict could “quickly spiral out of control,” saying, “There cannot be another war on the Korean Peninsula.”

She said sanctions and pressure are “diplomatic tools” aimed at bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table to discuss denuclearization, not to bring down its regime.

Her speech came shortly after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho threatened to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers as a self-defense measure before he wrapped up his U.N. trip in New York.

Ri took U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet, Sunday, that the North Korean leadership “won’t be around much longer,” as a declaration of war. He argued that it gives his country the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the North’s airspace.

“It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations,” she said at the forum jointly organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Kang is traveling in the U.S. on her own after accompanying President Moon Jae-in last week when he attended the U.N. General Assembly.

“Under these circumstances, it is imperative that we, Korea and the U.S., together manage the situation with astuteness and steadfastness in order to prevent the further escalation of tension or any kind of accidental military clashes in the region, which can quickly spiral out of control,” she said. “There cannot be another outbreak of war in the region. There cannot be another war on the Korean Peninsula.”

The foreign minister cited President Moon’s U.N. speech, in which he reiterated his pursuance of permanent peace on the peninsula and denuclearization, not collapse of North Korea nor its assimilation with the South.

“There was also overwhelming support for my government’s approach to the challenge that is firm and stronger pressure against the provocations, while leaving the door open to dialogue should North Korea change course towards a peaceful and diplomatic solution,” Kang said. “Sanctions and pressure against North Korea are diplomatic tools. They are not meant to collapse or bring down North Korea, but to bring it to the negotiation table for serious denuclearization talks.” Kang still insisted on a “strong deterrent” being accompanied with sanctions and pressure, claiming “They are necessary but not enough.”

Kang said that the North Korea issue is the “most difficult challenge” that South Korea and the U.S. are currently facing but emphasized that the challenge has made their alliance “even stronger.”

“In fact, the alliance is as robust as ever, and the ties between our two countries have never been so rich and diverse, so wide and so deep,” she said.

Before joining the forum, Kang had a separate meeting with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and shared thoughts on the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Markey is a leading Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific.

He and Kang last met in August when Markey visited Seoul.

Kang called for his support on resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis through diplomatic and political methods.

Citing reports he received, he pointed out the North Korean economy relies on the exchange of goods as well as production and circulation of counterfeit bills at the Pyongyagng-Beijing border in addition to imports of crude oil. He said understanding such a system and taking a relevant approach will be the best approach for the Donald Trump administration to avoid military options that it is considering using against the Kim Jong-un regime.

Kang was joined by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the forum.