‘Our fate is at stake!’ South Korea hits out at US for attacking North Korea
SOUTH Korea has hit out at the US for threatening to attack North Korea, insisting all military options against the rogue state must be ruled out.
South Korean minister: 'No military solution' to Korea crisis
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, South Korea's foreign minister said the stand off over North Korea's nuclear programme must be resolved diplomatically.
Kang Kyung-wha added she was certain Washington would consult her government first if a military option were to be considered.
Kang said: “The nuclear issue has to be solved through negotiations and diplomatic endeavours. This idea of a military solution is unacceptable.”
The Trump administration has said all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea, and officials say the President and his advisers have discussed the possibility of a limited strike.
But debate on military options has lost some momentum in recent weeks after North and South Korea resumed talks ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in the South.
Kang said: “I’m assured that anything the US administration does on this front is done in close consultation with us.”
She declined to comment if Washington had given Seoul clear assurance but added: "This is our fate that is at stake.
“Any option that is to be taken on the Korean peninsula, cannot be implemented without us going along."
Kang also said South Korea was prepared for "all contingency scenarios" in case North Korea stages another weapons test, even as the two countries conduct talks and mutual visits relating to the Olympics.
"We go into these discussions with a clear understanding of what might be possible and another provocation is always a possibility."
Kang, who was in Davos to discuss recent progress in inter-Korean talks and to boost awareness of the Olympics, did not discuss details of the scenarios that South Korea was prepared for.
After their first formal talks in more than two years this month, officials from the two Koreas have been visiting each other to facilitate the North's participation in the Olympics, to be held in the South's alpine resort town of Pyeongchang.
North Korea has waged a publicity campaign around its attendance, calling on "all Koreans at home and abroad" to promote inter-Korean cooperation.
Kim Jong-un’s regime has also set a new anniversary to mark the formation of its military on February 8 - the day before the start of the Games - and analysts say the nation may observe the day with a large military parade.
US Vice President Mike Pence, who will represent the United States at the Olympics, said he would seek to counter what he described as an effort by North Korea to "hijack" the Games with a propaganda campaign.
Seoul has rejected that criticism, saying the Olympics will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
Kang said: “This is an opportunity for engagement and a peaceful engagement around the Olympic Games, and we just need to make the best of it.”
But she cautioned that sustained improvement in bilateral ties cannot take place apart from the nuclear issue: "There have to be advances on this front as well."
Last year, North Korea conducted dozens of missile launches and its sixth and largest nuclear test, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, as it raced towards its goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching the United States.
Another test or similar provocation "would be not acceptable," Kang said. "And further provocations will only lead to further pressure and sanctions".