 |
| ▲ Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, is seen delivering opening remarks in a Senate armed services committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 2023, in this captured image. (Yonhap) |
N Korea-US commander
N. Korean nuclear test not matter of if but when: Gen. LaCamera
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, April 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is set to conduct its seventh nuclear test, the chief of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday, arguing it is not a matter of if but when.
Gen. Paul LaCamera also said the North's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities no longer make the country a problem for the U.S. and South Korea only, but the entire region.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "believes a nuclear deterrent is the best means to preserve his regime and coerce the international community to lift sanctions. He is determined to operationalize his nuclear arsenal and is developing a credible second-strike capability," LaCamera said in opening remarks submitted to the Senate armed services committee for a hearing on U.S. posture in the Indo-Pacific.
"Right now, KJU (Kim Jong-un) is poised to conduct a 7th nuclear test; without outside influence, it is not a matter of 'if' DPRK will detonate another nuclear device but 'when,'" he added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.
Officials in Seoul and Washington have said Pyongyang may conduct its seventh nuclear test "at any time," noting the country appears to have completed all preparations for a nuclear test.
The USFK commander said the most concerning was North Korea's threat to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. and South Korea, citing the country's new nuclear policy law, announced in September 2022, that said Pyongyang would preemptively use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states when the non-nuclear states are deemed to be "colluding with nuclear states."
"Contrary to DPRK's rhetoric blaming the U.S. and the U.S.-ROK Alliance for tensions on the Korean Peninsula, DPRK's actions demonstrate that if conflict were to resume it would be due to DPRK aggression," said LaCamera.
ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
The U.S. general said should there be any conflict on the Korean Peninsula, it would impact the entire region and the globe.
"Over the last ten years, DPRK has increased its capabilities and capacities, and is no longer a regional nuisance or problem for only U.S. and ROK forces on the Korean Peninsula," he said, adding, "Such a conflict could immediately become a regional conflict and have a global impact, just as Russia's war against Ukraine has."
The USFK chief emphasized the need to maintain and further enhance the U.S. alliance with South Korea.
"The best way to deter DPRK is to maintain our ironclad commitment to the U.S.-ROK alliance which has endured for almost 70 years -- and to never take it for granted," LaCamera said.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
