With Seoul expecting another North Korean missile test, South Korean warships conducted live-fire exercises at sea on Tuesday in a second straight day of military swagger from a nation still rattled by the North\u2019s biggest-ever nuclear test.<\/p>\n
The test on Sunday, which North Korea said was a hydrogen bomb, was a huge advance in the North\u2019s push for nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States. It has also resulted in South Korea boosting its own military capabilities. Washington and Seoul agreed to lift restrictions on South Korean missiles they\u2019d previously agreed upon, according to the South Korean presidential office, allowing Seoul to improve its pre-emptive strike capabilities against the North.<\/p>\n
The Korean Peninsula has been in a technical state of war since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. The near-constant unease has worsened in recent months as North Korea has displayed rapid improvement in its weapons capabilities, testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and a string of other missiles meant to target US forces in Asia and the US mainland.<\/p>\n
Members of the UN Security Council met on Monday to address the growing threat from North Korea following its claimed successful test of a nuclear bomb. (Sept. 4)<\/p>\n
More launches may be coming. The Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea appeared to be planning a future missile launch, possibly of an ICBM, to show off its claimed ability to target the United States with nuclear weapons. It was unclear when such a launch might happen, but Sept. 9 is the anniversary of North Korea\u2019s founding and past launches have coincided with important national dates.<\/p>\n
South Korean ships including a 2,500-ton frigate, a 1,000-ton patrol ship and 400-ton guided-missile vessels participated in the drills aimed at retaliating against potential North Korean provocations, the Defense Ministry said. It plans more naval drills in its southern seas through Saturday. On Monday, Seoul used F-15 fighter jets and land-based ballistic missiles to simulate an attack on North Korea\u2019s nuclear test site to \u201cstrongly warn\u201d the North over the recent detonation.<\/p>\n
The UN Security Council held its second emergency meeting about North Korea in a week on Monday, with US Ambassador Nikki Haley saying the North\u2019s actions show that leader Kim Jong Un is \u201cbegging for war.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough is enough. War is never something the United States wants. We don\u2019t want it now. But our country\u2019s patience is not unlimited,\u201d Haley said.<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday condemned North Korea\u2019s nuclear test but also warned against using military force against the country, calling it a \u201croad to nowhere\u201d that could lead to a \u201cglobal catastrophe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhipping up military hysteria makes absolutely no sense in this situation,\u201d Putin said in a news conference in China. He stopped short of expressing willingness to impose more sanctions on North Korea, saying Moscow views them as \u201cuseless and ineffective.\u201d<\/p>\n
The heated words from the United States and the military maneuvers in South Korea are becoming familiar responses to North Korea\u2019s rapid, as-yet unchecked weapons progress.<\/p>\n
South Korea has been seeking to obtain more powerful missiles for a so-called \u201ckill chain\u201d pre-emptive strike capability to cope with North Korea\u2019s growing nuclear and missile threat.<\/p>\n
Since the late 1970s, South Korean missile development has been limited by a bilateral \u201cguideline\u201d between the United States and Seoul. It was updated in 2012 to allow the South to increase the range of its weapons from 300 kilometers (186 miles) to 800 kilometers (497 miles).<\/p>\n
An agreement revealed Tuesday removes a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) warhead limit on South Korea\u2019s maximum-range missiles, which would allow the South to potentially target the North\u2019s underground facilities and shelters.<\/p>\n
In addition to expanding its missile arsenal and holding military exercises, South Korea is also strengthening its missile defense, which includes the high-tech Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery deployed in the southeastern county of Seongju.<\/p>\n
North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs. Both diplomacy and severe sanctions have failed to check its march to nuclear mastery.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump, asked in Washington if he would attack North Korea, said, \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d No US military action appeared imminent, and the immediate focus appeared to be on ratcheting up economic penalties, which have had little effect thus far.<\/p>\n
In tweets earlier this week, Trump threatened to halt all trade with countries doing business with North Korea, a clear warning to China. Such a move would be radical since the US imports about $40 billion in goods a month from China. China called that threat unacceptable and unfair.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s nuclear detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs, which, when perfected, could target the US mainland. The North also threatened to launch a salvo of Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam, the home of military facilities the North claims are meant to target it.<\/p>\n
The US has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and is obliged by treaty to defend it in the event of war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With Seoul expecting another North Korean missile test, South Korean warships conducted live-fire exercises at sea on Tuesday in a second straight day of military swagger from a nation still rattled by the North\u2019s biggest-ever nuclear test. The test on Sunday, which North Korea said was a hydrogen bomb, was a huge advance in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":34192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7863],"tags":[20426,20425,20424,16516],"class_list":["post-34189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-section","tag-icbms","tag-north-korean-missile-test","tag-seoul","tag-un-security-council"],"yoast_head":"\n