South Korea to host emergency meeting of six-party talks delegates

Washington and Seoul are not discussing the restoration of nuclear weapons to South Korea after last week’s atomic test by North Korea, a USA official said on Monday, saying this could spark a regional arms race.

The Rodong Sinmun said Monday that the U.S.is now exerting its strategic bomber formations toward South Korea.

In a show of strength on Sunday, a B-52 Stratofortress – flanked by South Korean F-15 fighter jets and US F-16 planes – flew over Osan Air Base, some 70 km south of the inter-Korean border.

But Joseph DeThomas, a former senior State Department official who advised on Iran and North Korea sanctions policy until February 2013, said new sanctions wouldn’t force change in Pyongyang unless China is convinced of the strategic effect of North Korea having nuclear weapons that could threaten America.

The day after the United States flew a strategic B-52 bomber over the Korean peninsula, Seoul has announced that negotiations are underway to secure further “strategic assets” from Washington to be deployed in South Korea against the threat from the North.

Last week, North Korea claimed to have successfully conducted its first test of a hydrogen bomb, drastically raising tensions in the region to a new high. In the past two years, North Korea refrained from nuclear tests limiting itself to ballistic missile launches as a response to the US-South Korea large-scale military drills. Upon completion of the flight over South Korea, the B-52 returned to Guam, the release said.

A US Air Force B-52 (R) flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, January 10, 2016.

“The move is aimed at securing the safety of South Koreans as the North is expected to react to Seoul’s resumption of anti-North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts”, said Unification Ministry Spokesman Jeong Joon-hee.

The flight “demonstrates one of the many alliance capabilities available for the defense of the Republic of Korea”, Lieutenant General Terrence O’Shaughnessy, United States Forces Korea deputy commander and U.S. Seventh Air Force commander, said after the flight.

The defense ministry spokesman in Seoul also said on Monday that North Korea had deployed more troops to frontline border units.

Seoul’s military authorities said the North stepped up its vigilance posture along the border by increasing its artillery assets at its frontline units close to South Korea’s loudspeakers.

It has blocked United Nations Security Council resolutions and otherwise has hindered other nations’ efforts to thwart North Korea.

But the ministry had already “basically ruled out” the possibility the test would have any radiation impact upon China, and nothing abnormal had yet been found, it said.