S Korea braces for North show

SEOUL: South Korea is on heightened alert ahead of another important anniversary in North Korea, with a large concentration of military hardware amassed on both sides of the border amid concerns about a new nuclear test by Pyongyang.

US officials said there was a higher-than-usual level of activity by Chinese bombers, signalling a possible heightened state of readiness by Beijing, reclusive North Korea’s sole major ally, although the officials played down concern.

In Russia, a Kremlin spokesperson declined to comment on media reports that Russia was moving military hardware and troops towards the border.

US and South Korean officials have been saying for weeks that North Korea could soon stage another nuclear test in violation of UN sanctions, something both the US and China have warned against.

North Korea marks the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People’s Army on Tuesday, an important anniversary that comes at the end of major military drills, South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee Duk-haeng said.

Top envoys from the US, South Korea and Japan on North Korea are due to meet on Tuesday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said, to “discuss plans to rein in North Korea’s additional highstrength provocations, to maximise pressure on the North, and to ensure China’s constructive role in resolv- ing the North Korea nuclear issue”.

South Korea and the US have also been conducting annual joint military exercises, which the North routinely criticises as a prelude to invasion.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Chinese efforts to rein in “the menace of North Korea”.

Trump said he was confident Chinese President Xi Jinping would “try very hard” to pressure North Korea over its nuclear programme.

An official Chinese newspaper said there was optimism about persuading the North to end its pursuit of a nuclear programme without the use of force, “now that even the once tough-talking Donald Trump is onboard for a peaceful solution”. – Reuters