S Korea keen to veto any strike against North
SOUTH KOREA: South Korean President Moon Jae In has signalled his country will no longer stay quiet as tensions escalate between the United States and North Korea.
In a forceful speech yesterday, Moon asserted the right to veto any military action against Kim Jong Un’s regime, saying that decision should be made by ‘‘ourselves and not by anyone else’’.
He vowed to prevent war at any cost – a sharp contrast with US President Donald Trump, who has warned of ‘‘fire and fury’’ if North Korea continues to threaten the US.
Moon’s speech risks exacerbating a rift between the US and South Korea over the best approach to dealing with North Korea. Any divisions among America and its allies may further embolden Kim, who is seeking the ability to strike the US with a nuclear weapon as a way to deter an invasion that could overthrow his regime.
The speech came after US Defence Secretary James Mattis warned it would be ‘‘game on’’ for war if North Korea fired missiles that hit the US or its territories, including the Pacific island of Guam, home to key US military bases.
North Korea’s state-run news agency reported on Tuesday that Kim would wait ‘‘a little more’’ before carrying through with a threat to fire four missiles over Japan into waters near Guam.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday that prospects for a diplomatic solution depended on Kim.
Tensions may increase further ahead of annual Us-south Korea military drills slated to start on August 21. Some 50,000 South Korean soldiers and about 25,000 US troops participated last year over two weeks.
Moon, a former human rights lawyer whose parents fled North Korea during the Korean War, took power in May promising a softer approach to Pyongyang after nine years of conservative rule that ended in a messy impeachment trial. He raised questions about a US missile shield, pushed for dialogue with Kim, and sought to mend ties with China, North Korea’s main ally and benefactor.
Just a few months later, however, North Korea’s tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles forced him to embrace the missile shield and agree to tighter sanctions against Kim. His calls for a peace treaty and dialogue have been drowned out by the war of words between Trump and Kim.
One problem for Moon is that North Korea has little interest in talking to South Korea, in part because Kim sees the US as a much bigger threat to his regime. The US has almost 30,000 troops in South Korea.
Another irritation for Moon is the US will call the shots if hostilities break out, a legacy of the Korean War. While plans to transfer full operational control to South Korea were agreed on in 2005, the transition has been repeatedly delayed because of budgetary constraints and rising tensions. – Washington Post