In a show of force against North Korea, two United States bombers flew over South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea claimed its fifth and largest ever nuclear test in the country despite multiple warnings from the global community.
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The U.N. Security Council is strongly condemning North Korea’s latest nuclear test.
Last week’s nuclear test, the North’s fifth, was its most powerful to date.
“At present, we must work hard to prevent the situation on the peninsula continuing to escalate, and put the issue of the nuclearisation of the peninsula back on the track of dialogue and consultation”, it said.
The test prompted South Korea, the United States and other partner countries to rush to adopt tougher sanctions against North Korea which was affected by the harshest United Nations Security Council resolution following its previous nuclear test. Ministry officials refused to say what specific evidence pointed to another possible nuclear test.
South Korea, the U.S. and their allies have promised to apply more pressure and sanctions after the test, the second this year.
North Korea has refused the US demand that it accept denuclearisation as a condition for holding dialogue. The US military said some aircraft will be deployed Tuesday but declined to disclose what type or how many planes.
Commenting on Tuesday’s actions by the US and South Korea, South Korea’s defence ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun said that the overflight was “aimed at sending a clear warning to North Korea about its nuclear test, and containing further provocations”.
“I think it’s clear that the latest nuclear test has strengthened, bolstered worldwide resolve to hold the DPRK accountable”, the special representative told a press conference in Seoul after a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Hong-kyun, to discuss the North’s recent nuclear test. Yonhap, citing an unidentified military source, said Sunday that the plan would turn areas in Pyongyang, where the North’s war commanders were likely to hide, into ashes and “eliminate those places from the map permanently”.
Pyongyang admitted seizing the Japanese nationals and allowed five abductees return home in 2002, but said the remaining 12 had died in North Korea.
Antonio Inoki, a former professional wrestler who now serves in Japan’s parliament, returned Tuesday from a five-day visit to Pyongyang saying that Japan need not worry about the North’s nuclear program. Diplomacy has so far failed.
The six-way talks, which involve DPRK, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have been halted since late 2008.
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Such flyovers are fairly common when animosity rises on the Korean Peninsula, which is technically in a state of war because there has never been a peace treaty to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War.
