Further complicating matters, a key North strategy is to try to exploit any perceived rift between the US and South Korea. Any sign of a rift could also embolden North Korea as it plots strategy.
Washington could eventually pursue economic sanctions against North Korea through the UN Security Council. The North has said such a step would amount to a declaration of war, and it would undermine the South's faltering efforts to reconcile with its neighbor.
On Sunday, North Korea warned that it would take "emergency measures" if the US does not drop what it described as a hostile policy toward the communist country.
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