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Pence: US era of strategic patience with North Korea over

US Vice President Mike Pence (C) talks with US General Vincent K. Brooks (R), commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea, as they visit Observation Post Ouellette near the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea on 17 April 2017.Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Mr Pence (centre) looked over to North Korea from an observation post at Panmunjom

US Vice-President Mike Pence has said his country's "era of strategic patience" with North Korea is over.

Mr Pence made the remarks at the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the area dividing the two Koreas, during a visit to South Korea to reaffirm ties.

His visit comes amid escalated tensions on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US.

He arrived in Seoul on Sunday hours after North Korea carried out a failed missile launch.

On Monday, the US and South Korea launched a joint air force military exercise to ensure readiness against North Korea, according to South Korean media.

Mr Pence, whose father served in the Korean War, was speaking on Monday at the truce village of Panmunjom, where the war's armistice was signed.

He told reporters: "There was a period of strategic patience, but the era of strategic patience is over."

The US wants to achieve security on the peninsula "through peaceable means, through negotiations", he said, "but all options are on the table".

A North Korean soldier takes a photo as two soldiers look at the South side while US Vice President Mike Pence visits the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea on 17 April 2017Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption North Korean guards on the border watched as Mr Pence toured the village, with one seen photographing his visit

Mr Pence also reiterated the US commitment to South Korea, saying it was an "iron-clad alliance", and that North Korea "should not mistake the resolve" of the US to stand with its allies.

Earlier in the day he visited Camp Bonifas, a United Nations military compound near the DMZ, and on Sunday he met with US military families stationed in South Korea.

Mike Pence, who is set to meet the acting president of South Korea later, will visit four nations on his 10-day Asia tour.

He has denounced North Korea's ballistic missile test on Sunday as a "provocation".

US Vice President Mike Pence (centre L) shakes hands with US military officers upon his arrival at army base Camp Bonifas in Paju near the truce village of Panmunjom during a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea on 17 April 2017.Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Mike Pence met with US and South Korean military officers near the DMZ

Also on Sunday, Lt Gen HR McMaster, the US top security adviser, said his country was working on a "range of options" with China, the first confirmation the two countries were co-operating to find a solution to the North Korean issue.

China, historically Pyongyang's sole major ally, has reiterated its call for North Korea to stop all tests, and has also called for a peaceful solution.

US President Donald Trump, who stated last week that the US and its allies may "deal with" Pyongyang if China did not, said on Sunday that Beijing was "working with us on the North Korean problem".

Besides Sunday's launch, North Korea has held a series of large-scale events in the past week including a massive celebration and military parade on Saturday.

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The BBC's John Sudworth, in Pyongyang, explains what may happen next

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Media captionThe BBC's John Sudworth, in Pyongyang, explains what may happen next

It has denounced the US deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the region, saying it would respond by "force of arms" to "reckless moves".

Observers have said North Korea may conduct a sixth nuclear test soon, with activity reported at nuclear facilities, according to the website 38 North.

Meanwhile about 1,000 US airmen and fighter jets are taking part in a combat training exercise in South Korea, reported Yonhap news agency. South Korea has sent about 500 personnel and planes. The Max Thunder exercise will last for two weeks.

[사설] "트럼프를 시험하지 말라"는 美 부통령의 경고



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입력 : 2017.04.18 03:20

한국을 방문 중인 마이크 펜스 미 부통령이 17일 "지난 2주 동안 시리아와 아프가니스탄에서 택한 우리의 행동에 의해 전 세계가 새로운 (트럼프) 대통령의 힘과 결의를 목격했다"며 "북은 우리 대통령의 결의를 시험하지 않는 것이 좋을 것"이라고 말했다. 펜스 부통령은 이날 황교안 총리와 회담 후 공동 회견에서 "우리는 (한반도 비핵화가) 평화적으로 해결되기를 원한다"면서도 군사적 해결책도 배제하지 않고 있다는 점도 명백히 했다. 그는 "(20년간의) 전략적 인내의 시대는 끝났다"고 했다. 펜스 부통령은 중국의 사드 보복에 대해 "한국의 방어 조치에 경제적 보복을 하는 것은 문제가 있다"며 "중국은 방어 조치를 필요하게 만드는 북한의 위협을 관리하는 게 더 적절할 것"이라고 했다. 그는 "만일 중국이 북한에 대처하지 못한다면 미국과 우리 동맹국들이 할 것"이라는 트럼프 대통령의 말도 상기시켰다.

펜스 부통령의 이날 회견은 미국의 정책 방향이 어느 곳을 향하고 있는지를 명확하게 보여줬다. 북이 추가 도발을 하면 반드시 징벌적 조치가 따를 것이고, 중국이 북을 제어하지 못하면 미국이 직접 할 것이며, 중국의 사드 보복도 이런 차원에서 중단되어야 한다는 것이다.

황교안 총리는 이날 회견에서 중국의 역할을 강조하면서 "(한·미는) 북한의 추가 도발 시 (중국과의 협력을 토대로) 강력한 징벌 조치를 취해나가기로 했다"고 말했다. 중국의 대북 송유관 차단, 중국 정부의 대북 금융거래 단절, 북한인 노예 노동 금지와 같은 조치가 반드시 필요할 것이다. 이번만은 제재와 압박 수위를 높이는 듯하다가 적당히 물러서던 과거의 방식이 되풀이되어선 안 된다. 북 정권이 핵·미사일과 정권 생존 중 하나를 택할 수밖에 없게 만들어야 한다. 중국이 나서지 않아 미국이 나서게 되는 일은 중국도 바라지 않을 것이다.

앞으로 일주일(4월 25일) 후면 북한군 창설 기념일이다. 북은 지금 트럼프 대통령에 대한 대응 전략, 과거와 다른 중국에대한 대응 전략에 골몰하고 있을 것이다. 이미 '간 보기'와 같은 미사일 도발을 했다. 이제 6차 핵실험과 ICBM 발사 시험을 놓고 저울질하고 있다면 "트럼프 대통령을 시험하지 말라"는 펜스 부통령의 경고를 가볍게 보지 말아야 한다.

이런 시점에 우리는 정치적 불확실성의 정점을 지나고 있다. 각 정당과 대선 후보들은 현 정세에 대한 국민의 경각심을 촉구하되 불필요하고 과도한 불안감이 아닌 국민적 결의가 모아질 수 있도록 리더십을 발휘해주기를 당부한다.



출처 : http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2017/04/17/2017041702900.html

Pence warns North ‘not to test’ Trump

After visit to DMZ, he reiterated all options are being considered  PLAY AUDIO

Apr 18,2017

17203256.jpg이미지뷰
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, third from left, stands with his daughter Charlotte, second from left, and U.S. Gen. Vincent Brooks, right, commander of the United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command while his daughter Audrey, left, looks through binoculars to see North Korea from Observation Post Ouellette in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), near the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea, Monday. His 10-day tour of Asia comes as tensions grow in the wake of North Korea’s latest missile test. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Pyongyang “not to test” the resolve of President Donald Trump during a joint press conference with South Korea’s acting president in Seoul on Monday, indicating intensive punitive measures in case of further provocations by the North.

“Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan,” said Pence, standing beside Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, South Korea’s acting president. “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.”

He called the North Korean regime “the region’s most dangerous and urgent threat” and said that Washington hopes to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula “through peaceable means,” but reiterated that “all options are on the table.”

Pence went on to underscore that Washington will continue to deploy the U.S.-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, system “as a defense measure called for by the alliance and for the alliance,” and also “evolve a comprehensive set of capabilities to ensure the security of South Korea.”

He added, “We will defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response.”

The Pentagon dropped the so-called Mother of All Bombs, or the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), on ISIS tunnels and caves in Afghanistan on Thursday, which was seen as a warning to Pyongyang.

Likewise, Trump’s decision to launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles on a Syrian air base in retaliation for President Bashar al-Assad’s deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians came during his state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping and at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on April 6.

After meeting for 90 minutes at Hwang’s residence, the two held the joint press conference, highlighting the urgency and gravity of North Korea’s nuclear threat, addressing China’s unfair retaliatory measures over the deployment of the Thaad antimissile system and emphasizing the enduring nature of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

“On behalf of the president of the United States, my message to the people of South Korea is this: We are with you 100 percent. Even in these troubled times, we stand with you for a free and secure future,” said Pence.

Pence also said that in Trump’s summit with Xi at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the two leaders noted the urgency posed by North Korea’s weapons programs and agreed to increase cooperation to convince North Korea to abandon its illicit weapons program.

“It is heartening to see China’s commitment to these actions,” said Pence. “But the United States is troubled by China’s economic retaliation against South Korea for taking appropriate steps to defend itself. The better path would be for China to address the North Korean threat that is actually making such defensive measures necessary.”

After speaking out against the Chinese government’s economic retaliation against Seoul over the deployment of the Thaad system to Korea, Pence added that Trump recently made it clear, “If China is unable to deal with North Korea, the United States and our allies will.”

Pence also addressed a series of concerns in Seoul since the onset of the U.S. administration, including concerns in Seoul that Washington may unilaterally take military action or even order a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

“We will closely consult with South Korea and your leadership as we make decisions moving forward,” he said.

He called the alliance between South Korea and United States “the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and indeed throughout the Asia-Pacific,” adding that Washington’s “commitment to South Korea is ironclad and immutable.” He said the two stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” and that the alliance “will even be stronger” under the Trump leadership.

On the upcoming South Korean presidential elections next month, Pence said, “While change is coming on May 9th, the people of South Korea may be assured, whatever change happens in your elections, the commitment to the United States to South Korea’s safety and security will remain unchanged.”

In especially strong wording to describe the bilateral relationship, he concluded, “The friendship between our two free nations is eternal. We have bled together, we have prospered together, and on that foundation, the people of the United States of America and South Korea will face the future together.”

Hwang shared that he and Pence agreed on the importance of China’s constructive role in dealing with Pyongyang and the need for intensive punitive measures in case of North Korea’s further provocations.

He called for the need for “seamless cooperation and coordination” between the two allies and also said he appreciated the United States for “taking a clear position on China’s unfair actions with regard to the deployment of Thaad,” adding they agreed to work together so that such retaliation can “end at an early date.”

Earlier in the day, the vice president, the son of a Korean War veteran, Edward Pence of the 45th infantry division of the U.S. Army, visited the demilitarized zone (DMZ) bordering North Korea.

Pence said at the Freedom House at the DMZ, which he described as a “frontier of freedom,” “The people of North Korea, the military of North Korea should not mistake the resolve of the United States of America to stand with our allies,” and added that “the era of strategic patience is over.”

Pence arrived in Seoul Sunday to kick off his five-leg trip to the Asia-Pacific region, the first visit in the area since he took office as vice president.

H. R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, also told ABC News Sunday that it is the consensus with the president, key allies in the regions, namely Japan and South Korea, and, also the Chinese leadership “that this problem is coming to a head.”

He continued, “And so it’s time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully,” ruling out pre-emptive strikes for the time being.

In an indication that Beijing resolving the North Korea issue can act as a bargaining chip over the United States labeling China a currency manipulator, Trump tweeted Sunday: “Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem? We will see what happens!”

On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in its annual foreign-currency report, stopped short of labeling China a currency manipulator and instead urged Beijing to let the yuan rise with market forces and embrace more trade.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]