By C.E. Dyer 3 Comments
North Korea confirms increased testing. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC’s John Sudworth that the testing schedule is ramping up. “We’ll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis,” the vice foreign minister said.
More threats from the rogue nation. If the U.S. takes military action, Han Song-Ryol claimed that an “all out war” would result.
“If the US is reckless enough to use military means it would mean from that very day, an all out war,” he said.
BBC reported: “Vice Foreign Minister Hang Song-Ryol told the BBC that North Korea believed its nuclear weapons ‘protect’ it from the threat of US military action.”
As North Korea brutally oppresses its people, the regime of course paints the United States as the aggressor in the ongoing tensions.
“Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan,” Pence said.
“North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.”
He also made it clear that the United States supports South Korea: “We are with you 100%.”
The world responds. The BBC reported:
China has reiterated its call for North Korea to stop all tests, and has also called for a peaceful solution.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing on Monday that the Korean peninsula was “highly sensitive, complicated and high risk” and that all sides should “avoid taking provocative actions that pour oil on the fire”.
On Sunday, Lt Gen HR McMaster, the US top security adviser, said his country was working on a “range of options” with China, the first confirmation the two countries were co-operating to find a solution to the North Korean issue.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not tolerate “missile adventures by Pyongyang” but a unilateral use of power by the US would be “a very risky course”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday told a parliamentary session that diplomatic efforts were “important to maintain peace”, but “dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless”.
He added that Japan needed to apply pressure on Pyongyang to “seriously respond to a dialogue” with the international community.
What does this mean? Right now, it’s unclear how this will all play out. Will the rest of the world continue to join the United States in checking the aggression of North Korea, which clearly poses a major threat to numerous countries in its goal to be able to equip an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead that can hit anywhere on the globe?Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing on Monday that the Korean peninsula was “highly sensitive, complicated and high risk” and that all sides should “avoid taking provocative actions that pour oil on the fire”.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not tolerate “missile adventures by Pyongyang” but a unilateral use of power by the US would be “a very risky course”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday told a parliamentary session that diplomatic efforts were “important to maintain peace”, but “dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless”.
He added that Japan needed to apply pressure on Pyongyang to “seriously respond to a dialogue” with the international community.
Will North Korea back down or will they lash out if they feel their repressive regime is being backed into a corner?
Time will tell, of course, but in the meantime it’s clear that this is a dangerous situation.