US defence system aims to ‘bring Kim to his senses’
THE top US military commander in the Pacific said yesterday that America wanted to bring Kim Jong-un “to his senses” with the deployment of a missile defence system in South Korea.
It came as the Trump administration announced a tightening of sanctions against North Korea and a stepping up of diplomatic efforts amid mounting tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear threats.
Admiral Harry Harris, who heads the US Pacific Command, defended the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile defence system in South Korea.
He told Congress that he believed North Korea’s threats against the US needed to be taken seriously.
“I don’t share your confidence that North Korea is not going to attack either South Korea, or Japan, or the United States ... once they have the capability,” he said. “It’s critical that we’re guided by a strong sense of resolve, both privately and publicly, both diplomatically and militarily. All options are on the table. We want to bring Kim Jong-un to his senses, not to his knees.”
The partial deployment of the THAAD system yesterday caused protests from local residents. Officials in Seoul were reported to have confirmed that it would be operational by the end of the year.
The move was “in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threat”, a statement said, amid con- cerns that Pyongyang was planning its sixth nuclear test since 2006. THAAD is a major concern for China, which believes the system’s powerful radar will be able to monitor its missile capabilities. Russia has similar worries.
North Korea’s UN Mission said yesterday the government would react to “a total war” with the United States with a nuclear war. Pyongyang will “surely win a victory in the death-defying struggle against the US imperialists,” a statement said. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “can never be frightened” by the Trump administration’s effort to bring the country “into submission” by deploying a nuclear aircraft carrier strike group off the Korean Peninsula, it added.
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, last night said Mr Kim was leading a “semi-deranged regime in North Korea, bent on getting nuclear weapons that could one day be used to strike this country”. After briefing senators in a highly unusual meeting at the White House, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats issued a statement that toned down military rhetoric and urged the international community to help find a solution to North Korea’s nuclear threats.
President Donald Trump aims to “pressure North Korea into dismantling its nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs by tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures with our allies and regional partners,” the statement read.
“We are engaging responsible members of the international community to increase pressure on the DPRK in order to convince the regime to de-escalate and return to the path of dialogue,” the statement added, using North Korea’s official name.