North Korea US Tension - News & Discussion

[samsara]

China warns of “necessary actions” as US says THAAD to be operational “in coming days”

By Curtis Stone - People's Daily Online - April 27, 2017

Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, told Congress that the THAAD anti-missile defense system would be operational “in the coming days.”

Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Admiral Harris said that North Korea remains the most “immediate threat” to the security of the U.S. and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. believes that North Korea is trying to develop a “preemptive nuclear strike capability” against American cities.

Admiral Harris said that the U.S. must assume North Korea’s claims are true. He added that the U.S. is prepared to fight tonight, if necessary. “That’s why the ROK-US alliance decided last July to deploy THAAD,” he said. He added that the THAAD system will be operational “in the coming days.”

China expressed its “grave concern” after parts of the THAAD system were moved to the deployment site in South Korea, which the U.S. claims is “purely defensive.” China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the deployment of THAAD breaks the strategic balance in the region and ratchets up the tension on the Korean Peninsula.

China strongly urged the U.S. and South Korea to cancel the deployment and withdraw the equipment, and sent a strong warning that China will take necessary actions “to safeguard its own interests.”

Admiral Harris said that the best way to reduce the rising tensions is to provide “credible combat power 24/7.” China is concerned that the increasing amounts of hard power and uncertainty in the region aggravate the situation and threaten China’s core strategic interests.

China is calling for efforts to resolve the explosive situation through dialogue and consultation, and has been working with the U.S. to try to reduce tension. Regarding the North Korea issues, Admiral Harris acknowledged that “China is doing things” and he is “encouraged” by China’s actions.

 

[samsara]

Beijing promises military solution to US missile shield

China vows live-fire drills and weapons tests in response to THAAD deployment in South Korea

By Minnie Chan - SCMP - 27 April, 2017

China says it will conduct live-fire drills and test new weapons to safeguard its security in response to the US deployment of an anti-missile system in South Korea.

Defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun on Thursday said that China resolutely opposed the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in South Korea, as it would undermine regional stability.

“The Chinese military will continue to conduct practical targeted live-fire drills, as well as test new weapons and equipment, to defend national security and regional peace and stability,” he said.

Yang’s remarks came amid reports on Wednesday that the US had started to move parts of the THAAD system to their deployment site in South Korea.

Beijing-based military analyst Li Jie said Yang’s comments were meant to remind the US and South Korea that China could take measures, including “hard and soft kill” weapons, to destroy the THAAD system.

“China can use its traditional Dongfeng series short and medium-range missiles as hard-kill weapons in case there is a war,” Li said. “For soft-kill, it means it’s possible that Beijing may try using electromagnetic pulse warheads as well as electronic interference technologies to disrupt the radar system of THAAD.”

Seoul says the anti-missile system is necessary because of provocations from North Korea.

Yang’s warning came a day after the Chinese and Russian militaries held their third round of anti-missile briefings in Moscow. Both sides reiterated their strong opposition to seeing the US THAAD system in the region.

“The message sent by China and Russia is very clear, they are joining together to deal with the THAAD deployment,” Li said.

This month, Russian air defence commander Viktor Gumyonny told media that Russia planned to network its next generation S-500 surface-to-air missile with its other missile systems as part of an integrated air-defence network to counter THAAD.

Zhou Chenming of the Knowfar Institute for Strategic and Defence Studies said the Sino-Russian briefing served to let the US and South Korea know that the two countries were strong enough to cope with THAAD, and to warn Japan and Taiwan not to get involved in the US-built defence network.

Japan is considering becoming the second US ally in Asia to deploy the THAAD system, citing the nuclear threat from North Korea.

 

[Saho]

US President Donald Trump says a 'major, major conflict' with North Korea is possible over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, while China said the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control.

Trump, speaking on Thursday, said he wanted to resolve the crisis peacefully, possibly through the use of new economic sanctions, although a military option was not off the table.

'There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea,' Trump said in an interview at the Oval Office.

'We'd love to solve things diplomatically but it's very difficult,' he said, describing North Korea as his biggest global challenge.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said there was a danger that the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control, his ministry said.

Wang made the comments in a meeting at the United Nations with a Russian diplomat on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement.

China, the only major ally of North Korea, has been increasingly uncomfortable in recent months about its neighbour's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles in violation on UN resolutions.

The United States has called on China to do more to rein in Pyongyang and Trump lavished praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for his efforts, calling him 'a good man'.

'I believe he is trying very hard. I know he would like to be able to do something. Perhaps it's possible that he can't. But I think he'd like to be able to do something,' Trump said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests. Beijing had warned Pyongyang it would impose unilateral sanctions if it went ahead, he added.

Tillerson did not say when China made the threat and there was no immediate confirmation from Beijing.

He is due to chair a meeting with UN Security Council foreign ministers on Friday, where he said he would stress the need for members to fully implement existing sanctions as well as possible next steps.

China banned imports of North Korean coal in February, cutting off its most important export, and Chinese media this month raised the possibility of restricting oil shipments to the North if it unleashed more provocations.

In a show of force, the United States is sending the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to waters off the Korean peninsula, where it will join the USS Michigan, a nuclear submarine that docked in South Korea on Tuesday. South Korea's navy has said it will hold drills with the US strike group.

Admiral Harry Harris, the top US commander in the Pacific, said on Wednesday the carrier was in the Philippine Sea, within two hours' striking distance of North Korea if needs be.

Harris also said a US missile defence system being deployed in South Korea to ward off any North Korean attack would be operational in coming days.

China has been angered by the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), complaining that its radar can see deep into China and undermines its security.

Trump sayshe wants South Korea to pay the cost of the THAAD, which he estimated at $US1 billion.

South Korea, one of Washington's most crucial allies in the region, said the United States would have to bear the cost, pointing to possible friction ahead.

Trump's remarks came as South Korea heads into a presidential poll that will likely elect liberal frontrunner Moon Jae-in, who has said the next administration in Seoul should have the final say on THAAD.

Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the United States with a nuclear missile, a capability experts say Pyongyang could have some time after 2020.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and numerous missile tests, including one this month, a day before a summit between Trump and Xi in Florida.

North Korea, technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, regularly threatens to destroy the United States and says it will pursue its nuclear and missile programmes to counter perceived US aggression.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-...ajor-conflict--with-north-korea-possible.html

 

[Hassan Guy]

lol no he's not.

2 days later Trump actually declares war

 

[YeBeWarned]

I agree with China here, the situation can easily go out of Hand ..

 

[terranMarine]

Just as Trump is gonna declare China a currency manipulator

 

[tonyget]

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/28/news/trump-south-korea-thaad-trade/

Trump: South Korea should pay for $1B missile defense system

President Trump wants South Korea to foot the bill for a $1 billion U.S. missile defense system and is threatening to kill the free trade deal between the two countries.
His comments aren't sitting well with officials in South Korea, a key American ally in Asia. One foreign policy expert called the remarks "shameless."

"I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they pay," Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. "That's a billion dollar system."

He was talking about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is being deployed in South Korea in an effort to reduce the threat from North Korean missiles.

Related: Pence says trade with South Korea must change

The THAAD deployment has already caused tensions inside South Korea and hurt the country's relations with China. Trump's comments are likely to further complicate the situation.

"It's collateral damage to the [U.S.-South Korea] alliance," said Euan Graham, director of the Lowy Institute's international security program.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo has repeatedly said his country won't bear the cost of the system.

"There has been no change in our basic position that the South Korean government provides the site and infrastructure for THAAD ... and the U.S. side shoulders the cost of its deployment, operation and maintenance," the Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

In addition, a South Korean official told CNN on Friday that a "confidential agreement" signed last year by senior U.S. and South Korean military officials states that "the U.S. bears the cost of deploying THAAD."

Related: China is crushing South Korea's tourism industry

Washington and Seoul first announced plans for the deployment of the THAAD system in July, before Trump's election. The two countries have a mutual defense treaty, and more than 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

"We're going to protect them," Trump told Reuters. "But they should pay for that, and they understand that."

On the campaign trail, Trump frequently said South Korea and other key U.S. allies should pay more for the defense provided by the U.S.

THAAD is unpopular among a significant portion of the South Korea public and has become a key issue ahead of the country's presidential election on May 9. Parts of the system arrived at the deployment site this week, with officials saying it would be operational "in the coming days."

Related: Anti-missile system in South Korea operational in 'coming days'

The current frontrunner in the election, Moon Jae-in, has taken a lukewarm stance on THAAD and argued the system should not be installed until a new administration is elected.

"It is shameless for the U.S. to ask South Korea to pay for THAAD given that they are deploying it not only to protect South Koreans but also Americans in South Korea, American territory and for the security" of the region, said Kim Ki-jung, a foreign policy adviser to Moon and a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul.

North Korea may be preparing 6th nuclear test


The THAAD battery in Asia is part of a broader network of defense systems in East Asia. None of them would be able to protect Seoul, South Korea's biggest city that lies only about 35 miles from the border with North Korea. That distance means it's vulnerable to shorter-range rockets and artillery.

China has made clear its opposition to THAAD, which it says is a threat to its security and destabilizing for the region, by putting pressure on South Korean companies and the country's tourism industry.

Related: South Korean company to China: Don't blame us for THAAD missiles

Trump also caused confusion in South Korea by telling Reuters he intends to renegotiate or terminate the free trade pact between the U.S. and South Korea, describing it as a "horrible" deal. The agreement will be targeted for renegotiation after his government finishes an overhaul of NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, he said.

His comments were more combative than those of his Vice President Mike Pence, who earlier this month told business leaders in South Korea that the U.S. government would work with them to "reform" the trade deal.

South Korea has yet to receive an official request to negotiate the trade deal, a senior official of the country's Trade Ministry told CNN. The ministry is trying to figure out why Trump made his latest remarks about the agreement, said the official, who declined to be identified by name.

-- James Griffiths and Pamela Boykoff contributed to this report.

 

[Mr.Nair]

War is not a good solution, but a confrontation with US will make a devastating consequences for not only US,Japan or South korea, but also for China.

@beijingwalker @terranMarine @Dungeness @AndrewJin @Jlaw

 

[powastick]

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/28/news/trump-south-korea-thaad-trade/

Trump: South Korea should pay for $1B missile defense system

President Trump wants South Korea to foot the bill for a $1 billion U.S. missile defense system and is threatening to kill the free trade deal between the two countries.
His comments aren't sitting well with officials in South Korea, a key American ally in Asia. One foreign policy expert called the remarks "shameless."

"I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they pay," Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. "That's a billion dollar system."

He was talking about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is being deployed in South Korea in an effort to reduce the threat from North Korean missiles.

Related: Pence says trade with South Korea must change

The THAAD deployment has already caused tensions inside South Korea and hurt the country's relations with China. Trump's comments are likely to further complicate the situation.

"It's collateral damage to the [U.S.-South Korea] alliance," said Euan Graham, director of the Lowy Institute's international security program.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo has repeatedly said his country won't bear the cost of the system.

"There has been no change in our basic position that the South Korean government provides the site and infrastructure for THAAD ... and the U.S. side shoulders the cost of its deployment, operation and maintenance," the Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

In addition, a South Korean official told CNN on Friday that a "confidential agreement" signed last year by senior U.S. and South Korean military officials states that "the U.S. bears the cost of deploying THAAD."

Related: China is crushing South Korea's tourism industry

Washington and Seoul first announced plans for the deployment of the THAAD system in July, before Trump's election. The two countries have a mutual defense treaty, and more than 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

"We're going to protect them," Trump told Reuters. "But they should pay for that, and they understand that."

On the campaign trail, Trump frequently said South Korea and other key U.S. allies should pay more for the defense provided by the U.S.

THAAD is unpopular among a significant portion of the South Korea public and has become a key issue ahead of the country's presidential election on May 9. Parts of the system arrived at the deployment site this week, with officials saying it would be operational "in the coming days."

Related: Anti-missile system in South Korea operational in 'coming days'

The current frontrunner in the election, Moon Jae-in, has taken a lukewarm stance on THAAD and argued the system should not be installed until a new administration is elected.

"It is shameless for the U.S. to ask South Korea to pay for THAAD given that they are deploying it not only to protect South Koreans but also Americans in South Korea, American territory and for the security" of the region, said Kim Ki-jung, a foreign policy adviser to Moon and a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul.

North Korea may be preparing 6th nuclear test


The THAAD battery in Asia is part of a broader network of defense systems in East Asia. None of them would be able to protect Seoul, South Korea's biggest city that lies only about 35 miles from the border with North Korea. That distance means it's vulnerable to shorter-range rockets and artillery.

China has made clear its opposition to THAAD, which it says is a threat to its security and destabilizing for the region, by putting pressure on South Korean companies and the country's tourism industry.

Related: South Korean company to China: Don't blame us for THAAD missiles

Trump also caused confusion in South Korea by telling Reuters he intends to renegotiate or terminate the free trade pact between the U.S. and South Korea, describing it as a "horrible" deal. The agreement will be targeted for renegotiation after his government finishes an overhaul of NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, he said.

His comments were more combative than those of his Vice President Mike Pence, who earlier this month told business leaders in South Korea that the U.S. government would work with them to "reform" the trade deal.

South Korea has yet to receive an official request to negotiate the trade deal, a senior official of the country's Trade Ministry told CNN. The ministry is trying to figure out why Trump made his latest remarks about the agreement, said the official, who declined to be identified by name.

-- James Griffiths and Pamela Boykoff contributed to this report.

I suspect USA wants to force South Korea to buy their weapon as a form of tribute. Can't be a vassal if you don't pay up. USA lost a source of income, so they are trying to regain it by destabilizing Korean Peninsular.

South Korea has recently canceled an arms agreement with the United States where the ROK (South Korea) would buy American weapons in exchange for tech transfers, for the first time in over 30 years. The US repeatedly failed to honor the agreement to transfer technology, so the ROK Ministry of Defense announced that they would develop weapons independently. At the same time, they also announced plans to spend nearly $210 billion over the next 5 years upgrading equipment and further developing cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, missile defense systems, etc.

 

[beijingwalker]

Korea is bordering China and Russia who are supposedly allies, US won't do anything in this region. China and Russia are just too big a factor for him to bear.

 

[Mr.Nair]

US find an excuse to be its permanent presence in south china sea for ever in the name of 'North Korea'.I believe US is not targeting North korea, but China itself + opportunity to sell more weapons.

 

[beijingwalker]

US find an excuse to be its permanent presence in south china sea for ever in the name of 'North Korea'.I believe US is not targeting North korea, but China itself + opportunity to sell more weapons.

Do you mean East Sea? US has military bases in both S.Korea and Japan anyway. US is getting smart and starting to withdraw instead of expanding, they are not going to burn their money anymore now they ask S.Korea to pay for THAAD.

 

[Fledgingwings]

He wont.

 

[beijingwalker]

Before he was elected he bashed China non stop and made China look like the root of all evils, now he talks about China like China is his second father. so you believe him?

 

[terranMarine]

US find an excuse to be its permanent presence in south china sea for ever in the name of 'North Korea'.I believe US is not targeting North korea, but China itself + opportunity to sell more weapons.

We understand the situation far better than any of you outsiders regarding DPRK and the US intention. No matter what outsiders say we are confident the US will not fire the first bullet nor will Kim shoot first. You Indians sit and watch how big powers play politics and diplomacy, it's the kind of level way above your heads.