By Jun Ji-hye
The defense ministers of South Korea and the United States condemned North Korea’s continuous nuclear and missile threats Wednesday, calling on Pyongyang to halt them.
The two also confirmed that they will closely discuss all potential actions against North Korean threats, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, had a phone conversation amid escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang’s continuous missile tests and its threat to launch missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
“They urged North Korea to refrain from making further provocations,” the ministry said in a press release.
“Mattis also confirmed that the U.S. would use diplomatic and economic pressure first (rather than military options).”
Mattis also said the U.S. would protect South Korea from any North Korean attacks by using all of its capabilities, the ministry said. Song stressed the need for a strong alliance to resolve the North Korea issue peacefully.
The two ministers decided to talk more about ways to bolster the countries’ alliance during a scheduled first meeting in Washington, D.C., Aug. 30.
In the meantime, the upcoming South Korea-U.S. military exercise is drawing attention amid rising hopes for a possible dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea.
However, military officials do not rule out the possibility of the North carrying out fresh provocations to protest the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise that starts Monday.
Pyongyang customarily reacts with anger and military threats to such joint military exercises, which it says are a rehearsal for invading the North.
The ministry told a National Assembly session Monday, “There is a great possibility that North Korea will carry out strategic or tactical provocations to protest the latest U.N. sanctions and the UFG exercise.”
The exercise this time comes amid high military tension following an exchange of bellicose rhetoric between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week.
Kim threatened to strike areas near Guam with four intermediate-range ballistic missiles; while Trump claimed the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” to deal with the North’s provocations.
But hopes for a breakthrough have been cautiously raised after Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a peaceful resolution of North Korean issues during a telephone conversation Saturday.
Since then, U.S. politicians and defense officials have increasingly mentioned the need to resolve issues through diplomatic and economic pressure rather than military actions.
The North’s young leader also said Monday that he would watch Washington’s behavior “a little more” before making any decisions, according to the state-controlled Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), Tuesday.
Regarding Kim’s backing off, Trump also wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “Kim Jong-un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!”
Kim, however, added if the U.S. continues “its extremely dangerous reckless actions” on the peninsula, his regime will make an “important decision as it has already declared.” He called on the U.S. to “make a proper option first and show it through actions to defuse tension and prevent a dangerous military conflict.”
The “dangerous reckless actions” were construed as referring to the UFG exercise, in which U.S. strategic assets such as B-1B heavy bombers and nuclear-powered submarines are likely to participate.
The defense ministry said Seoul has been in talks with Washington on the dispatch of the strategic weapons as well as additional joint drills in preparation for the North’s possible provocations.
Experts say the Kim regime could use the dispatch of the assets as an excuse for missile tests.
“The KCNA report did not explain concretely, but Kim’s comments would mean that he expects the U.S to stop hawkish remarks against the North and decrease the frequency of sending its strategic assets here,” Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korea studies at Dongguk University, said.
China’s state-run Global Times claimed Tuesday that Seoul and Washington should stop their scheduled joint exercise if they really want peace in the region.
But the top U.S. general, who visited South Korea earlier this week, made it clear that there will be no change to the planned UFG drills.
“I would say you have to look at the rhetoric of North Korea. The exercises are more important than ever,” U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said during a press meeting here, Monday. “These exercises are in developing our operability, developing our readiness and forces here on the Korean Peninsula in case deterrence fails.”
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, who accompanied Gen. Dunford, also said, “Our exercises are projected well in advance. We have been consistent from year to year, they are not a surprise, and we remain in readiness as these exercises are very important to us.”
When asked about what the U.S. armed forces would do if North Korean attacked Guam, Gen. Dunford avoided a direct answer, only saying, “Our job is to make sure our leadership has an option available to them.”