US must not strike without Seoul’s consent: Choo Mi-ae

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump should “under no circumstances” take military action against North Korea without the government in Seoul’s consent, the chairwoman of South Korea’s ruling party, Choo Mi-ae, has said.

“President Trump often emphasises that he put all options on the table,” Choo told a Washington think-tank yesterday. “We want to make sure that this option of another war is not placed on the table. Under no circumstances should the US go ahead and use a military option without the consent of South Korea. We must seek a peaceful resolution in any manner that is available to us.”

The remarks by Choo underscored South Korean concerns that any US strikes against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes could pro- voke strong North Korean retaliation against South Korea.

Visiting Seoul last week, Trump warned North Korea he was prepared to use the full range of US military power to stop any attack, but also urged Pyongyang to “make a deal”.

Trump, who had previously called negotiations with North Korea a waste of time, has offered no clear path to talks and has sent mixed signals about his interest in negotiations.

Speaking on his return from Asia, Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had rejected a “freeze-for-freeze” agreement. China and Russia have previously advocated such a plan, where the US and South Korea stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programmes. It was not clear if this was what Trump meant.

There was no immediate comment from China’s embassy in Washington.

Pyongyang has shown little interest in negotiations, at least until it has developed a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

Choo, whose Democratic Party has advocated dialogue with North Korea, said Seoul backed Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions and there should be no talks for the sake of talks. However, she said blocking opportunities for dialogue could prompt North Korean “miscalculation”.

She did not say whether she was satisfied with the US’s limited efforts to talk to Pyongyang to resolve the crisis stemming from North Korea’s efforts to develop missiles capable of hitting the US. –Reuters