Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung Se, in the capital of Laos on Monday, with the ministers confirming that the governments will sincerely implement a Japan-South Korea deal that was reached late a year ago over so-called comfort women.
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South Korea’s Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, center, pays a silent tribute during a commemorative ceremony marking the 63rd anniversary of the Armistice Agreement and UN Forces Participation in the Korean War in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
“To develop suitable capabilities for missile defense is necessary for China to maintain its national security”, Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular monthly briefing, when asked about the footage.
Observers pointed out that an ARF chairman’s declaration, which includes a clause expressing concern over Thaad, could undermine Seoul’s efforts to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearize and impede the faithful implementation of sanctions against the North.
At a meeting of the 10-members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “Together we are determined…to make absolutely certain that DPRK (North Korea) understands that there are real consequences for these actions”.
North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and has subsequently test-fired banned ballistic missiles on several occasions.
Cho said that South Korea and the US share an assessment that the North is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time if it decides to.
The minister, Ri Yong Ho, said North Korea was a responsible nuclear state and would not use its atomic arms unless threatened, repeating its stated position.
In March, the United Nations imposed harsh new worldwide sanctions on Pyongyang for again violating Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from developing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons.
But Beijing is wary of pushing the North too far, fearing a regime collapse that could create a refugee crisis on its border and swing the regional balance of power towards the United States.
He said North Korea should learn from Iran, also a bitter enemy but with whom the United States and other countries made a deal to end its nuclear program.
But Pyongyang has continued its provocations with a series of missile tests.
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“Some grumble among themselves about the nature of the state’s claims”, they added, “justifiably pointing out that not even a three-year-old would believe that the South would attack us with snakes over [anti-regime] propaganda leaflets or CDs”.
