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NUKEWARS
N. Korea goes 'my way' with missiles and murder row
By Hwang Sunghee
Seoul (AFP) March 8, 2017


Top US diplomat to visit Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing after NKorea test
Washington (AFP) March 8, 2017 - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit South Korea, Japan and China, the State Department announced Tuesday, just a day after North Korea launched ballistic missiles close to ally Japan.

On his first visit to the region as top US diplomat, March 15-19, Tillerson will speak with authorities after the tests, which were followed by Washington's deployment of an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.

"In each country, Secretary Tillerson will meet with senior officials to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues, including strategic coordination to address the advancing nuclear and missile threat from the DPRK, and reaffirm the Administration's commitment to further broaden and enhance US economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region," spokesman Mark Toner said.

Tillerson arrives in Tokyo on March 15; heads to Seoul on March 17, and on to Beijing on March 18.

The US Pacific Command said Monday that the Americans had begun deploying the THAAD system to South Korea, which is designed to defend the US ally from a North Korean attack.

China responded that it was "firmly opposed" to the deployment and vowed to "resolutely take necessary measures" to defend its security interests.

China, a permanent council member and Pyongyang's main ally, has argued that deployment of the THAAD would further destabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula.

Meanwhile, China on Wednesday called on North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the US and South Korea halting military wargames, to avoid what it called a "head-on collision."

UN Security Council strongly condemns N.Korea missile launches
United Nations, United States (AFP) March 8, 2017 - The UN Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and expressed serious concern over Pyongyang's "increasingly destabilizing behavior."

The strong condemnation came in a US-drafted statement that was unanimously approved by the council despite US tensions with China over Washington's deployment of an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.

The council described the missile tests as a "grave violation" of UN resolutions barring North Korea from developing missile technology and vowed to "take further significant measures."

Council members will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday at the request of the United States and Japan to discuss the launches of four missiles that North Korea said were part of a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan.

Three of missiles fired on Monday came down in waters close to Japan.

Council members said in the statement that North Korea's activities "increase tension in the region and beyond as well as the risk of a regional arms race."

The United States circulated the draft statement ahead of the meeting as tensions were rife with China over the US move to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system.

The US Pacific Command said Monday that the Americans had begun deploying the THAAD system to South Korea, which is designed to defend the US ally from a North Korean attack.

China responded that it was "firmly opposed" to the deployment and vowed to "resolutely take necessary measures" to defend its security interests.

China, a permanent council member and Pyongyang's main ally, has argued that deployment of the THAAD would further destabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula.

The council has imposed six sets of sanctions on North Korea -- two of which were adopted last year to significantly ramp up measures and deny Kim Jong-Un's regime hard currency revenue.

Dealing with a notorious murder by detonating a huge diplomatic row, and firing missiles as a practice assault on US bases in Japan -- North Korea's recent actions demonstrate its willingness to escalate tensions whatever the consequences, say analysts.

Pyongyang on Tuesday banned all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, its latest move in an increasingly heated feud over the assassination of leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian police are investigating the death of Kim Jong-Nam, who was killed last month by two women using VX nerve agent, but all fingers have pointed to Pyongyang as the culprit behind the murder.

The North has denied any involvement, denouncing the Malaysian probe as a "smear campaign" to tarnish the country, before the two engaged in tit-for-tat expulsions of their ambassadors.

Daniel Pinkston, an analyst at Troy University in Seoul, said the North's belligerent response followed its textbook method of using force to handle political disputes.

"There is a famous quote in their literature: if someone brings a pistol, bring a cannon. That's how they operate," he said.

The travel ban on Malaysians came on the same day that Pyongyang described the launch of four missiles -- three of which came down in waters that are part of Japan's exclusive economic zone -- as a practice drill for a strike on US military bases in the country.

The direct challenge to Washington comes with a new, famously unpredictable president in the White House who is still formulating his approach to North Korea.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump at times implied that negotiations could be an option, but in phone calls Tuesday reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to allies Japan and South Korea and warned of "very dire consequences" for Pyongyang.

"It would seem common sense to behave well before Trump sets his policy, but North Korea is just going its own way regardless of the consequences," said Koh Yu-Hwan, a professor of North Korea studies at Dongguk University.

"Trump talks of achieving peace through strength and the North seems to be applying the same logic, although it can't compete in terms of strength," Koh added.

- 'Dire consequences' -

Being blamed for Kim's killing -- Malaysian authorities are still seeking to question seven North Koreans over it -- could mean tougher international sanctions, including being put back on Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Analysts say the feud with Kuala Lumpur is a calculated move before Malaysia announces the final results of its probe.

"This is obviously destroying bilateral relations with Malaysia but I think at the end of the day, that falls fairly low on North Korea's list of priorities," said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University.

In any case, he added: "Once Malaysia comes to a conclusion and they deny it, they are at loggerheads and having a public fight about it."

The quadruple missile launch came shortly after South Korea and the US started annual joint exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang, which sees them as practice for invasion and regularly mounts protest actions -- with seven missile launches last year.

But the explicit targeting of Japan -- only the second time a North Korean missile has landed in its EEZ -- represented an escalation.

It drew strong global condemnation with the UN Security Council scrambling to discuss additional measures against the North.

Kim Kwang-Jin, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, said: "It's probably all based on a calculation that they can't hope for any concession or change from the Trump administration.

"Compared to his father Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un is much more aggressive in dealing with a new US administration. It's under tougher sanctions but ignoring all of them."

But some analysts warn the North's strategy could go horribly wrong.

Trump could take a much more "hardline" stance than the Obama administration, potentially reintroducing nuclear weapons to the South, said Choi Kang, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

"Obama couldn't openly talk about bringing in tactical nuclear weapons because of his pledge for a nuclear-free world but Trump will be uncompromising," he told AFP.

"After all, he called Obama's 'strategic patience' a failed policy."

NUKEWARS
Obama launched cyberwar to sabotage NKorea missile program
Washington (AFP) March 4, 2017
Former US president Barack Obama in 2014 launched a cyberwar against North Korea's missile program but it has failed to make significant gains, The New York Times reported Saturday. The United States still cannot effectively counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the newspaper said following a months-long investigation, based on interviews with officials in the Obama and Donald ... read more

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com


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