Posted by The United States has announced it is considering new sanctions against North Korea, after the first-ever “2-plus-2″ security talks between US and South Korean ministers.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met their South Korean counterparts, foreign minister Yu Myung Hwan and Defense Minister Kim Tae Young, in Seoul on Wednesday.
In a joint statement after the talks, the 2 countries confirmed closer cooperation in bracing for possible attacks by North Korea, in the wake of the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. They are scheduled to conduct joint military drills in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea next week.
Clinton later said at a joint news conference that the US aims to strengthen the enforcement of UN sanctions, and that it plans to impose its own sanctions with the focus on freezing the private assets of the North’s leaders.
North Korea had recently suggested it would make efforts at nuclear disarmament through the 6-party talks. But South Korea and the US said that the North Korea has shown no such sign, and agreed that the country must take specific steps toward abandoning its nuclear ambitions before the 6-party talks can be resumed. South Korea’s Yu criticized the North for putting priority on having the UN sanctions lifted and on a peace treaty with the United States.
[...] described the joint naval exercise in the Sea of Japan as a provocation and challenge to North Korea‘s sovereignty and security as well as the wish for stability and peace in the country. As for [...]
[...] described the joint naval exercise in the Sea of Japan as a provocation and challenge to North Korea‘s sovereignty and security as well as the wish for stability and peace in the country. As for the [...]