As NKorea vows response, United States dismisses calls to pause drills

However in an interview with news.com.au last week, Dr Euan Graham, International Security Program director at the Lowy Institute, said it was important to read between the lines when it came to North Korea’s aggressive statements.

Adm. Harry Harris, chief of the Pacific Command (PACOM), said it’s more effective to use diplomacy, not military action that may involve a preemptive strike against Pyongyang, according to a press pool report.

The decades-old defence alliance between Seoul and Washington “represents a very strong military back-up to our diplomats who should take the front line”, Harris told reporters at a United States air base at Osan south of Seoul.

Both China and Russian Federation have tried to stop the US and South Korea from proceeding with the military exercises, but to no avail.

Diplomat Ju Yong Chol said Tuesday that other countries which spoke at a Conference on Disarmament session against Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile tests had been siding with the “hostile” US position.

During this year’s war games in March, North Korea launched four extended-range Scud missiles into the sea in what it described as a rehearsal for striking USA military bases in Japan.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified “lethal” weapons for the drills that it says involve a “beheading operation” training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

But this time, the arguments for the suspension of the drill and a pullout of U.S. Forces from South Korea was made by mainstream media in the United States, as well.

Kim has held off on the North’s supposed plans to fire missiles into waters near Guam that were advertised in state media earlier this month, but his government this week has kept up its harsh criticism of the USA over annual military drills conducted with close ally South Korea. Even though the joint Korea-U.S. drill is held annually, it has become a subject of contention.

The statement also took issue with such visits which are “increasing the gravity of the situation”.

The video released seems to be in reference to this week’s joint US-South Korea drills in the region.

Moon also stressed the importance of China’s role in bringing the North back to the dialogue table, noting Pyongyang almost entirely depended on its major ally, Beijing, for its exports.

The generals would observe the ongoing South Korea-U.S. war game, which is the first large-scale military exercise between the two allies following the DPRK’s tests in July of what it called an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.