The US government has mentioned joint exercises and additional sanctions, saying there are various tools that can be used in response to North Korea’s seventh nuclear test. He stressed that North Korea’s seventh nuclear test is a serious escalation of tension and undermines regional and international stability. Journalist Jo Eun-jung reports this.
The US State Department has sent a strong warning message to North Korea as it prepares for a nuclear test.
Vedant Patel, senior deputy spokesperson for the State Department, said in a regular briefing on the 26th: “I will not go into detail on the various countermeasures instruments that hold North Korea accountable,” but said: “There are various instruments not only in the State Department, but also in various US government departments, “he said.
[녹취: 파텔 수석부대변인] “We have a number of tools available, I would say we have tools available throughout the agency not just within this department. Earlier this month you saw our Pentagon colleagues taking part in joint military exercises both bilaterally and trilaterally in response to some of these launches we have seen. “
“Earlier this month, the Ministry of National Defense participated in a joint bilateral and trilateral military exercise in response to North Korea’s (missile) launch,” said Patel, deputy spokesman.
“It means we continue to have the tools to hold North Korea accountable,” he added.
“If North Korea proceeds with its seventh nuclear test, there will be a severe escalation of tensions, which will seriously undermine regional and international stability and undermine the international non-proliferation regime and related efforts,” said Patel, deputy spokesperson. of North Korea. .
Therefore, the United States “will continue to work closely with its allies and partners,” he added.
At a joint press conference following the US-Korea-Japan Deputy Foreign Ministers meeting on the 26th, Senior Deputy Spokesperson Patel did not immediately answer the question of what the “unprecedented strong response to North Korea’s nuclear test” was, which was revealed by Cho Hyun-dong, the first deputy foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, expressed his condemnation.
[녹취: 파텔 수석부대변인] “I will not speak for the Foreign Ministry of our partners in the Republic of Korea, but I think you have seen Deputy Secretary Sherman speak on his travels as well and it has been quite clear that this kind of provocation and aggressive action, threatening action, consider it irresponsible. and not only is it not safe, but these missile launches violate multiple resolutions of the United Nations Security Council ”.
“I will not speak on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Patel, deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We will consult with our allies and partners as we have done so far,” he said.
In addition, at the US-Korea-Japan Deputy Foreign Minister meeting held in the United States in November last year, the joint press conference was canceled due to the differences between Korea and Japan, but this time he said: “I will not analyze in depth. “to the question about the evaluation of the press conference held.
However, he said: “South Korea and Japan are the United States’ most important allies and partners in the region.”
Asked about the UN Security Council’s response to North Korea’s nuclear test, senior spokesman Patel said he hoped other permanent Security Council members would join in holding North Korea accountable.
[녹취: 파텔 수석부대변인] “As for other permanent members of the Security Council, it is obviously our hope that they will join us in holding the DPRK accountable. But even as recently as earlier this month we have not seen it from the PRC and instead we have seen parroting the misinformation that the US provocation was somehow behind these launches, which is absolutely not true. “
But Patel, a senior deputy spokesperson, pointed out that China hasn’t shown such an image even earlier this month.
Instead, China cited false information that the US provocation was behind the North Korean provocation, which was absolutely not true.
I’m Jo Eun-jung from VOA News.
