Press Release
The top U.S. military commander here said on Friday that North Korean provocations will increase in the coming years, and stressed the need for the international community to work in close cooperation with South Korea for regional stability and security.
“(North Korean leader) Kim Jong-il has said that North Korea will be a great and powerful nation by 2012, and the only way he has to get to that point is through military provocations and threatening the neighbors,” U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp said at a luncheon meeting organized by the East Asia Institute, a local think tank on East Asian diplomatic and security issues.
“I’m worried that over the next several years there will be more military provocations. We are all working together to try to get North Korea on a different path, a path of denuclearization, a path of taking care of their people and a more open government to be able to get to a better state, but Kim Jong-il is not taking that opportunity.”
During his 30-minute speech, the general, who also heads the U.N. Command here, underscored North Korea’s asymmetrical threats, which he said were demonstrated in the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan.
“North Korea imposes serious asymmetric threats to peace and stability in Northeast Asia. While responsible nations of the world are looking to reduce their weapons of mass destruction, North Korea is continuing its development of these weapons systems and their delivery vehicles,” the commander said.
“The types of provocations are asymmetrical. They are ones that we see North Korea working on. It is their missile technology, nuclear technology and special operating forces.”
To maintain regional security, stability and prosperity, Sharp noted that China has a sizable role to play.
“The Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance needs more from the entire international community and all countries in the region, in particular China. We believe all countries in the region and China need to work in cooperation in addressing North Korean aggressive behavior. In particular we will welcome Chinese action even behind the scenes,” he said.
Touching on the planned large-scale South Korea-U.S. military exercise in the West Sea, Sharp said, “Every country has not only the right, but the obligation to train its forces against the types of threats they see and to do it within their international territory.”
The exercise, which had been originally planned for June, has been postponed. Observers have argued that the postponement has been made due in part to the opposition by the Chinese government, which has warned that the exercise would increase regional tensions.
The U.S. currently maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea, mainly for deterrent purposes against North Korea.