Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Thursday during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart that any nuclear attack by North Korea on the United States or others "would result in the end of the Kim regime." The statement came hours after Pyongyang tested a new ICBM, further escalating tensions in the region.
Any nuclear attack on the United States or its allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will lead to the end of the Kim regime," Austin said at a meeting with Lee Jong-sup Pentagon on Thursday, according to a joint statement by the Department of Defense.
The administration included similar language in its National Defense Strategy, which the Pentagon released last week. Both Austin and Lee told reporters after the meeting they were concerned about the recent missile launches from Pyongyang.
Austin called the tests "destabilizing for the region" and called on Pyongyang to "cease these types of activities and start a serious dialogue". However, he noted that the Pentagon currently has no plans to change its position in the region. The meeting comes as Pyongyang continues to anger its Pacific neighbors with a multi-day spate of missile launches.
The new round of testing, which took place Thursday morning local time, appeared to involve a failed Type intercontinental ballistic missile. Japan's government initially warned that the missile would fly over Japan, but Tokyo's Defense Ministry later said that had not happened.
The rocket traveled about 466 miles before crashing into the Sea of Japan, far less than a March launch of the same rocket that traveled more than 1,000 miles. Thursday's tests came a day after North Korea fired a daily record 23 missiles on Wednesday. , prompting swift condemnation from Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo. Within hours of the last test, the US and South Korea announced they were extending an air force exercise scheduled to take place Monday through Friday this week.
The South Korean Air Force said the exercise would be extended "in light of recent North provocations". The long-planned drills have angered Pyongyang, which has described them as a provocation. Around 240 aircraft from the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Army and fighters from South Korea are participating in the Vigilant Storm exercise. The military plans to launch 1,600 sorties, which is the largest ever for the annual event.
Biden administration officials have offered to meet with their North Korean counterparts without preconditions, including possible meetings in Pyongyang. North Korea has yet to respond positively to the offer, instead increasing the rate of weapons testing. Pyongyang will conduct its seventh nuclear test in the near future.
Comments
0 comment