S Korea, US discuss strategic deployment after North test

Sunday’s show of force came as Kim Jong-Un claimed the nuclear test was carried out in self-defence, to prevent a nuclear war with the United States.

Charles Dharapak/AP In this April 20, 2010 file photo, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif. takes part in a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The content includes messages glorifying Kim Jong Un and attacking South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

North Korea will face a total collapse if China cuts off all oil supplies to the neighboring nation in the wake of Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test last week, a South Korean expert said Monday.

World powers are looking for ways to punish the North over its disputed bomb test, which, even if were not of a hydrogen bomb, is still likely to have pushed Pyongyang closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. Yet lawmakers are pushing ahead.

“History proves that powerful nuclear deterrence serves as the strongest treasured sword for frustrating outsiders’ aggression”, a KCNA editorial said Friday, adding that the “law of the jungle” prevails in the global landscape, with only the strongest surviving.

Many analysts believe that China’s Communist Party leadership won’t put enough pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions because a sudden collapse of the North’s regime could threaten China’s own security interests.

It’s uncertain what the bill’s prospects will be in the Senate if it’s passed by the House.

During a 2013 crisis with North Korea, the US waited a month after the North’s last nuclear test before sending a nuclear-capable bomber to the peninsula. Analysts are predicting the North may soon test a revamped version of a rocket it successfully tested in December 2012.

North Korea claims it has every right to develop such weapons, which it claims are only for self-defense. Nor did Pyongyang have enough money to pay its army or police forces.

North Korea responded to the flyover by calling the United States “stupid” and promising it would “take on nuclear threats with a nuclear response”.

Beijing also defended its role as a communication channel with North Korea, saying it is in the best interest of all parties concerned.

The move is apparently motivated by security concerns, with fears that South Koreans staying in the industrial zone could be vulnerable if North-South tensions continue to escalate.

Meanwhile, CNN reported Monday that North Korea has detained a US citizen on suspicion of spying.

Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), on Monday visited the air force base in Osan, 40 km south of Seoul, along with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sun-Jin.