U.S. JCS chairman expresses concern about N. Korean threats

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. military officer has expressed
concern about recent threats out of Pyongyang against South Korea timed with the
launch of the Barack Obama administration in Washington.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged in a
speech Monday at a college in Grove City, Pennsylvania the "possibility of pretty
severe instability" with North Korea's weapons. He said that listening to the
rhetoric out of Pyongyang is a cause for "big concern," adding, "it's not going
away real quick."
Mullen was discussing Pyongyang's threats to cut ties with Seoul and its
announcement that it was adopting "an all-out confrontational posture" against
the South. U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials believe the North is
preparing to test-launch a ballistic missile capable of reaching western parts of
the mainland U.S.
Analysts have interpreted the recent moves as an apparent gesture to draw the
attention of the Obama administration.
North Korea has tested ballistic missiles several times in the past decade with
the most recent one having been launched in July 2006.
"Obviously, it wasn't that long ago that they tested nuclear weapons there,"
Mullen said, describing the reclusive communist state as a "huge challenge,
potentially very destabilizing," and "of great concern to all of us."
North Korea also detonated its first nuclear device in 2006. President Obama and
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have in the past said the North has several
nuclear weapons.
Obama has also said he will continue with the six-party talks to persuade the
North to abandon its nuclear program. The latest round of the talks stalled over
the North's refusal to agree to a verification protocol for its nuclear
facilities.
Mullen, however, noted that the U.S. has maintained a strong deterrent in South
Korea in close cooperation with the major Asian ally.
"I spend a fair amount of my time with my counterpart in South Korea," he said.
"We still have upwards of 25,000 to 28,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and
Marines there in South Korea."
The top U.S. military officer also expressed satisfaction with the capability of
the South Korean military.
"We're at a time where we're actually transitioning to have them in the lead of
the missions -- them being the South Korean military, a very capable military --
which I am encouraged by," he said.
Mullen was referring to the planned transfer of wartime control of South Korean
troops to Seoul in 2012. The U.S. currently has wartime command control, known as
OPCON, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War in which the U.S. fought with South
Korea against the North.
Mullen also stressed the need for closer cooperation with other regional powers
in securing peace.
"That relationship between us and also the regional partners is absolutely
vital," he said. "I think the interplay of where China is, where Russia is, where
the United States is and the other major players in that region is one that both
bears watching and is very important" for stability.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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