13 September 2016•Update: 17 September 2016
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
A pair of United States supersonic B-1B bombers flew over South Korea on Tuesday in a demonstration of what the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander described as “just one example” of what the allies are capable of in the face of North Korea’s rogue nuclear weapon ambitions.
Flanked by the head of the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), USFK Commander General Vincent K. Brooks addressed reporters at Osan Air Base, insisting that last Friday’s latest nuclear test by North Korea was “a dangerous escalation”.
“Today's demonstration provides just one example of the full range of military capabilities in the deep arsenal of this strong alliance to provide and strengthen extended deterrence,” Brooks said after the flyby of the aircraft based in Guam.
Pyongyang has previously been upset by the near presence of such military hardware, in addition to the tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed in the South.
South Korean JCS Chairman Lee Sun-jin repeated Seoul’s earlier threat that the very existence of the North’s authoritarian regime would be at risk if the reclusive state “continues its aggressive behavior and develops nuclear weapons”.
Washington’s special envoy on North Korea, Sung Kim, was also in the South to meet with his local counterpart, and urged critics of existing sanctions against Pyongyang to have patience.
The United Nations Security Council has agreed to resolution after resolution aimed at breaking the North’s defiance -- the latest package of sanctions was imposed following the country’s fourth ever nuclear test in January.
“I think it's important to remember that sanctions and pressure need time,” Kim insisted at a press briefing. “It requires sustained concerted, systematic efforts to really have the kind of the effect we desire.”
Seoul and Washington are certainly pushing for tougher punitive measures as soon as possible, but North Korea appears to be seeking backing in South America.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday that North Korean ceremonial head of state Kim Young-nam was heading to a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Venezuela, and that he would follow Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho’s itinerary to China along the way.
Any communication between Pyongyang and Beijing officials will be closely watched given the importance of China’s support in bringing about the success of sanctions.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Kyodo News cited a lawmaker as claiming that North Korea’s fifth nuclear test targeted the U.S.
Lawmaker Antonio Inoki was reportedly told as much during a conversation over the weekend with the North’s leading foreign affairs official Ri Su-yong.
