U.S. ON PYONGYANG’S PROVOCATIONS

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The U.S. State Department says it's monitoring Pyongyang's actions and is ready to take additional measures. At a seminar held in Washington, pundits called on the Biden administration to take more pro-active action to prevent North Korea from conducting a seventh nuclear test.

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The U.S. State Department once again condemned North Korea's continuous missile provocations as an immediate threat to the international community and the regime's neighbors. ashington warned that it has a wide range of tools including sanctions to hold Pyongyang accountable, and is ready to take additional countermeasures.

[Soundbite] Vedant Patel(U.S. State Dept. Deputy Spokesperson) : "The United States is monitoring and watching closely and ready to take additional action as well."

The State Department stressed that the Ronald Reagan carrier strike group has been dispatched to the East Sea precisely because of North Korea to hold immediate military drills with South Korea and Japan. ome are calling on the Biden administration to take more pro-active action first to reduce escalating military tensions on the Peninsula.

[Soundbite] Moon Chung-in(Chair, Sejong Institute) : "If you read very carefully Kim Jong un's speech at the supreme people's congress in September, see some room for negotiation. But that proposal should come from the United States."

Pundits believe if Pyongyang launches ICBMs and conducts a nuke test, resuming meaningful dialogue would be extremely difficult. Critics point out that Pyongyang should face the fact that its provocations will only make the Seoul-Washington alliance stronger and push South Korea, U.S. and Japan to further bolster security cooperation.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Cheol-hee(Seoul Nat‘l Univ.) : "Continue to strengthen a US-Korea alliance and continue to upgrading of the trilateral cooperation is that North Korea wants?"

Experts attending the recent seminar all agreed that the Biden administration should prioritize and more closely review the North Korea issue.