South Korean Pres. Moon Jae-in says ‘ high possibility’ of conflict with North

SEOUL — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday there was a “high possibility” of conflict with North Korea, which is pressing ahead with nuclear and missile programs it says are needed to counter US aggression.

Mr. Moon made his comments hours after South Korea, which hosts 28,500 US troops, said it wanted to reopen a channel of dialogue with North Korea as Mr. Moon seeks a two- track policy, involving sanctions and talks, to try to rein in its neighbor.

North Korea has made no secret of its work to develop a nuclear- tipped missile capable of striking the United States and has ignored calls to halt its nuclear and missile programs, even from China, its lone major ally.

On Sunday, Pyongyang conducted its latest ballistic missile launch in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, saying it was a test of its capability to carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead.” The Security Council condemned the test.

“The reality is that there is a high possibility of a military conflict at the NLL ( Northern Limit Line) and military demarcation line,” Mr. Moon was quoted as saying by the presidential Blue House, referring to the de facto maritime and land boundaries between North and South.

Mr. Moon also said North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities seemed to have advanced rapidly recently but that South Korea was ready and capable of striking back in the event of an attack.

In a speech in Tokyo, the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, called North Korea a “clear and dangerous threat” to the United States, Japan and South Korea and stressed the need for more cooperation among the allies and for all countries to implement stronger sanctions on Pyongyang.

“Combining nuclear warheads with ballistic missile technology in the hands of a volatile leader like Kim Jong Un is a recipe for disaster,” Mr. Harris told the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, referring to North Korea’s leader.

“Every test he makes ... takes North Korea one step closer to being able to deliver a nucleartipped missile anywhere in the world.”

Mr. Harris said North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests showed that the country was a “liability for China not an asset,” and showed the need for Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbor.

Mr. Moon won the South Korean election last week campaigning on a more moderate approach towards the North. But he has said that North Korea must change its attitude of insisting on pressing ahead with its arms development before dialogue is possible.

South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Dukhaeng told reporters the government’s most basic stance was that communication lines between North and South should reopen.

“The Unification Ministry has considered options on this internally but nothing has been decided yet,” he said. —