N. Korea dominates security talks as tension rises in Asia

SINGAPORE, May 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea topped the agenda when the defense
chiefs of South Korea, the United States and over two dozen countries also
including Japan convened Saturday at a security forum in Singapore.
The Asia Security Summit, organized by a London-based think tank, coincides with
high tension in the region as North Korea set off an underground nuclear
explosion on Monday and now appears to be preparing to test-fire its
longest-range ballistic missile.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said his country will not overlook North
Korea if it continues to hone its nuclear and missile technology, while South
Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said the allies were running out of patience
with the communist country.
"We will not stand idly by as North Korea builds the capabilities to wreak
destruction on any target in the region or on us," Gates told the meeting of
defense ministers from 27 countries.
Calling the nuclear and missile testing by North Korea "reckless and ultimately
self-destructive," Gates voiced concern that it may even lead to an arms race in
Asia.
"It poses the potential for some kind of an arms race here in this region," he
said, calling on the North to reverse its stance because it would deepen its
isolation and impoverishment.
"The choice to continue as a destitute, international pariah, or chart a new
course is North Korea's alone to make," he said. "The world is waiting."
North Korea conducted its previous nuclear test -- its first known one -- in
October 2006, triggering the United Nations to pass a resolution banning it from
trading arms and luxury goods.
Resolution 1718 also bars North Korea from testing missiles and nuclear devices.
On April 5, North Korea launched a rocket that it says put a satellite in orbit,
even though the U.S. and its allies call it a test of ballistic missile
technology.
Protesting the U.N. Security Council condemnation of the launch, North Korea has
vowed to resume its missile and nuclear testing.
Tension also runs high in the Yellow Sea as the North warns of an armed conflict
there with South Korea, which has expanded its role in a U.S.-led
anti-proliferation drive in response to the nuclear test.
"We are tired" of warning North Korea, "that there is nothing for North Korea to
gain from its wrong behavior," South Korean Defense Minister Lee said after a
meeting with Gates.
Lee said the allies will "sternly" respond to North Korea if it provokes along
their western sea border. The two Koreas remain technically at war after the
1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
They engaged in naval battles that resulted in dozens of deaths on both sides in
1999 and 2002.
"A strong response has been agreed on by the U.S. and South Korea against any
active military provocation," Lee told South Korean journalists covering the
forum, also known as the "Shangri-la Dialogue"
China, which sent a deputy chief of its general staff, called for a "cool-headed"
approach, reaffirming its hope for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"We hope that all parties concerned will remain cool-headed and take measured
measures to address the problem," Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian said.
Both China and the United States warned against any proliferation attempts by
North Korea.
"We are resolutely opposed to nuclear proliferation," Ma said.
Gates said his country will hold North Korea "fully accountable for the
consequences of such action."
"The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or
non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States and
our allies," he said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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