The US has warned North Korea against any “provocative acts” following the shock execution of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle, as the reclusive state campaigned to rally support behind the young supremo.
Washington also sought to step up talks with its Asian allies, voicing concern over regional stability after Jang Song-thaek — seen as Kim’s political regent and the country’s unofficial No. 2 — was executed on Thursday following a special military trial.
“Certainly, it’s something we’re concerned about, and we would urge the North Koreans not to take provocative acts, not to do so going forward, because it’s not in the interest of regional stability,” US Department of State spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Friday.
The comments came after South Korean Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-Jin pledged to increase military vigilance against any potential provocations, saying the stunning purge indicated Kim Jong-un’s firm resolve to tighten his grip on power.
“We will heighten readiness against North Korea as [Jang’s execution] can lead to provocations against the South,” he said at South Korea’s parliamentary defense meeting on Friday. “This case can be seen as part of the reign of terror by Kim Jong-un as he is seeking to consolidate his power with an iron fist.”
He said the Stalinist regime risked misjudging the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, voicing concern over rivalry among North Korean military leaders eager to prove their loyalty.
Meanwhile, the reclusive state yesterday launched a fresh media blitz in a bid to rationalize Jang’s elimination and rally support behind Kim Jong-un.
Rodong Sinmun, the official daily, splashed on its front page a color photograph of Kim Jong-un, wearing a great coat with his hands in his pockets, touring a military design institute in his first public activity following the purge.
He was accompanied by Choe Ryong-hae, a close confidant who holds the military rank of vice marshal, and trailed by other military officers, one of whom was seen jotting down Kim Jong-un’s “field-guidance” instructions in his notebook.
The inspection trip was apparently aimed at displaying the leader’s continued stranglehold on power after the shocking elimination of Jang, condemned by Pyongyang as “a traitor for all ages.”
Pyongyang also appeared to be cracking down on Jang’s loyalists, with Yonhap news agency saying North Korean businesspeople in China have been summoned back in large numbers.
The move appeared aimed at cracking the whip on those “classified as having connections” with Jang, who served as a key go-between for relations with China, Yonhap said yesterday, citing unnamed sources.
Jang, 67, played a major role in cementing the leadership of the inexperienced leader when he succeeded his father, late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2011, but analysts said his power and influence had become increasingly resented.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
NOVEL METHODS: The PLA has adopted new approaches and recently conducted three combat readiness drills at night which included aircraft and ships, an official said Taiwan is monitoring China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises for changes in their size or pattern as the nation prepares for president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, in response to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu’s (王定宇) questions. China continues to employ a carrot-and-stick approach, in which it applies pressure with “gray zone” tactics, while attempting to entice Taiwanese with perks, Tsai said. These actions aim to help Beijing look like it has
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,