South Korea and the US expressed solidarity yesterday over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship they blame on North Korea, with a senior US diplomat saying the allies face Pyongyang from a position of “profound strength.”
Tension is high on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea warning any moves to punish it at the UN would mean armed conflict, and possibly even nuclear war.
South Korea and the US have urged Pyongyang to avoid fresh provocations and vowed to hold the regime accountable for the March sinking that killed 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea vehemently denies any role.
“We face North Korean provocation from a position of profound strength,” US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters yesterday after meeting with officials in Seoul.
Campbell said the countries will demonstrate their strengthened resolve in a number of ways in coming days including at the UN Security Council where he said they “are completely aligned.”
At the bilateral level, the US will also continue to stand with South Korea on such measures as “appropriate and responsible joint military activities,” he said.
South Korea and the US have announced plans for joint naval exercises near the site of the sinking.
South Korea has taken the issue to the Security Council, where both sides stated their case on Monday over Seoul’s request to punish Pyongyang over the sinking.
Campbell said the international community must take a “strong stance” and the US would boost cooperation with Seoul.
“We are determined to show that our alliance is standing very firmly together during an absolutely critical period,” Campbell said in opening remarks at a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.
Yu said South Korea was “satisfied with the watertight coordination at various levels.”
Campbell and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chun Yung-woo both called the current situation a “defining moment” for the US-South Korean alliance.
“We will demonstrate to the world how well our alliance works,” Chun said.
Meanwhile, a small group of peace activists protested outside the Foreign Ministry, where the meetings with Campbell were held. Some activists and civic groups have questioned the results of the investigation that concluded Pyongyang was responsible for the ship sinking.
“If we apply sanctions on North Korea, peace on the Korean Peninsula will be destroyed,” protester Yu Young-jae said. “So we came here to insist they [Campbell and South Korean officials] stop discussing sanctions on North Korea.”
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