Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

US tamps down talk of military action on N Korea

BEIJING — China yesterday welcomed an apparently softer tone by the United States on the North Korean nuclear and missile crisis, but stressed its opposition to a US missile defence system being deployed in South Korea.

South Korea on Wednesday moved parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, including an interceptor (bottom left), to its deployment site on a golf course about 250km south of Seoul. Photo: Reuters

South Korea on Wednesday moved parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, including an interceptor (bottom left), to its deployment site on a golf course about 250km south of Seoul. Photo: Reuters

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

BEIJING — China yesterday welcomed an apparently softer tone by the United States on the North Korean nuclear and missile crisis, but stressed its opposition to a US missile defence system being deployed in South Korea.

China has long promoted dialogue to resolve the Korean nuclear issue as Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened to destroy the US, which in turn has warned that “all options are on the table” in ending North Korean provocations.

The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it aimed to push North Korea into dismantling its nuclear and missile programmes, which are in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, through tougher international sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

“The US seeks stability and the peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. We remain open to negotiations towards that goal. However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies,” it said in a statement tamping down talk of military action against an unpredictable and increasingly dangerous US adversary.

Asked about the US comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: “We have noted these expressions, and have noted the message conveyed in these expressions hoping to resolve the Korean nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and consultation,” he said.

“We believe this message is positive and should be affirmed.”

South Korea and the US yesterday pledged to punish North Korea in the event of further provocation.

“The two sides pledged that in the event of additional strategic provocation by the North, to swiftly take punitive measures, including a new UN Security Council resolution, that are unbearable for the North,” the South’s presidential office said after its national security adviser, Kim Kwan-jin, held a phone call with his US counterpart, Lieutenant-General H R McMaster.

The South also said the deployment of a US anti-missile defence system was moving ahead effectively a day after angry protests against the battery and fierce opposition from China.

South Korea on Wednesday moved parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) system to its deployment site on a golf course about 250km south of Seoul, signalling an expedited installation of the system.

Several hundred South Korean villagers protested near the site, hurling water bottles at vehicles moving the parts in.

The top US Commander in the Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris, said on Wednesday that the Thaad system would be operational “in coming days”, bolstering the ability to defend the US ally and the 28,500 US troops stationed there.

A photograph of the site showed a Thaad interceptor on the back of a mobile launcher, erect and pointed skywards as a military transport helicopter hovered nearby.

China says the system’s advanced radar can penetrate deep into its territory and undermine its security. It is adamant in its opposition.

“The deployment of the Thaad anti-missile system in South Korea damages the regional strategic balance and stability. The Chinese side is resolutely opposed to this,” said Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun.

“China’s military will continue to carry out live-fire military exercises and test new military equipment in order to firmly safeguard national security and regional peace and stability.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats described North Korea on Wednesday as “an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority”. The trio had told lawmakers in a special briefing that Washington will apply economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

The unprecedented meeting in a building adjacent to the White House reflected the increased American alarm over North Korea’s progress in developing a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the US mainland.

The US signal of a willingness to exhaust non-military avenues came as the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group approached Korean waters, where it will join the USS Michigan nuclear submarine. AGENCIES

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.